Prof. Cumrun Vafa receives Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

Cumrun Vafa

Affiliation when awarded Breakthrough Prize: Harvard University

Citation: For transformative advances in quantum field theory, string theory, and quantum gravity.

Acceptance Remarks: It is a great pleasure to have my work recognized by such an esteemed group of colleagues. I am fortunate to have worked alongside over 150 first-rate physicists and mathematicians, and I view this award as a recognition of their work as much as mine. I am especially grateful to Edward Witten, my thesis supervisor, for his continuous advice through the years. I was born in Iran, the home of many eminent scientists and mathematicians, such as Khayyam and Biruni, to name a few. In my pursuit of science, I was inspired by their legacy. I view science as a borderless adventure where everyone can participate, and it can bring out the best in humanity. I would like to thank my parents for their love and encouragement which has allowed me to follow my dreams. My life has been enriched by my three sons, Farzan, Keyon and Neekon. I am very proud of them and they have brought much joy and meaning to my life. And finally, I dedicate this prize to my wife and best friend Afarin whose unwavering support and love has been a steady pillar in my life.

Postdoctoral positions at SISSA

Subject: Re: Postdoctoral positions at SISSA

Dear Colleagues 

we would like to inform you that two postdoctoral positions within the

SISSA Statistical Physics Group are available starting in autumn 2017.

The positions have a total duration of two years and the successful candidates are expected 

to work on the general area of quantum field theory and statistical physics.

The scientific interests of the group include quantum and conformal integrable models,

entanglement in many-body systems,  cold atoms, classical and quantum

non-equilibrium statistical physics, quantum quenches and thermalization, 

tensor network calculations, classical and quantum disorder systems.

A description of the research interests of the group and of the current members 

can be found at http://www.sissa.it/statistical/

We would be grateful if you bring these postdoctoral positions to the attention of potential strong candidates and encourage them to apply.

The deadline for applications is February 1st 2017, but we encourage earlier applications.

Applications (which should include a CV with list of publications, a brief research statement, and the names of at least two referees) 

should be done via the Academic Jobs Online Service https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/8681

Best regards,

Pasquale

Prof. Pasquale Calabrese

SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies

via Bonomea 265,

34136 Trieste, Italy

Office: building A, room 519

Phone: [phone]

junior postdoctoral positions in phenomenology

  positions in phenomenology

Dear colleague

 

Would you please kindly forward to potentially interested people the following announcement of six junior

postdoctoral positions in phenomenology 

 

Thank you very much in advance 

Belen Gavela 

Professor of Theoretical Physics UAM and IFT Madrid 

 _

 Six positions on Particle Physics Phenomenology: Neutrinos, Dark Matter, Higgs physics and BSM

phenomenology in general. Application deadline December 11th.

 All applications must be submitted via http://www.elusives.eu/jobs, exclusively.

These positions are intended as a first step towards postdoctoral research, with starting dates around the

fall 2017, or earlier if convenient. They are ESR (Early Stage Researcher) positions of the Horizon 2020

ITN Elusives,  with destinations at the following institutes:

 

* Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) and Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT) UAM-CSIC

* IPPP at Durham University (UDUR)

* LPT (Laboratoire de Physique Theorique, Orsay), with the Centre Nationnal de la Recherche Scientifique 

(CNRS) (Orsay)

* University of Valencia (UVEG) and Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC)

* International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA)

* University of Padova (INFN)

 

Elligible candidates may be of any nationality and  at the time of recruitment:

  —> Must be in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers and have not yet been

awarded a doctoral degree. e. 

  —>  Must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc) in the country of

destination for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to the recruitment date.

The network extends to:

 

*Beneficiaries in seven European countries: Spain (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid/IFT, University of

Valencia/IFIC, University of Barcelona), UK (Durham University, University of Southampton), France (CNRS: 

LPT-Orsay, IPLT-Saclay, IPN-Lyon, LPC-Clermont, LPSC-Grenoble),  Germany (Max Planck Institutes at

Heidelberg and Munich, Karlsruhe University/KIT, University of Göttingen, DESY, Heidelberg University),

Italy (INFN: Univ. of Padova, SISSA, University of Milano-Bicocca),  Switzerland (University of Zurich).

 

*Scientific Partner Organizations: CERN plus partner organizations in seven non-European countries: USA

(Harvard University., Columbia University.-XENON expt., Fermilab theory group + all major neutrino and dark

matter expts., University of Washington, University of California at Berkeley-LBNL, Stony Brook

University.), Japan (ICRR and KAVLI IPMU, University of Tokyo), China (Institute of High Energy Physics,

Chinese Academy of Sciences), Brazil (Sao Paulo University),  Colombia (Antonio Nariño U.),  Egypt (Zewail

City for Science), India (HRI, New Delhi U.), Iran (IPM).

*Private-Sector Partner Organizations: Hamamatsu, Kromek, GMV, Medialab, Narcea Multimedia, and newspaper

El País.

 All positions include a month long stay in another European main node plus stays at our partner nodes: at

least one month at one major world laboratory and a short stay at one of our private sector partners.

New imaging tool helps study toxicity of proteins linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases

	November 23, 2016
	Parkinson's Disease
	The latest Parkinson's disease news from News Medical

	Physical activity may help improve health and quality of life of Parkinson's disease patients   A comprehensive review published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease confirms that people living with Parkinson's disease (PD) can benefit from being physically active, especially when it comes to improving gait and balance, and reducing risks of falls.
	New imaging tool helps study toxicity of proteins linked to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases   Researchers have developed a new imaging technique that makes it possible to study why proteins associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases may go from harmless to toxic.

Study reports increasing rates of hospital admissions for PD patients   Although treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) is significantly extending the lives of patients, these patients are now being admitted to hospitals at increasing rates.

	Growing understanding of neuroplasticity could drive development of new therapeutic interventions   A growing understanding of the highly "plastic," changeable nature of the brain--from the level of DNA, proteins, neuronal connections and networks, up to communication across brain regions--is driving the development of new therapeutic approaches to treat chronic pain, stroke, Parkinson's disease, and a variety of other disorders described in an article in Alternative and Complementary Therapies, a journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
	TSRI scientists discover precise signaling mechanisms that regulate brain’s motor function   In new findings that could have an impact the development of therapies for a number of currently untreatable brain disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found, for the first time, that a specific signaling circuit in the brain is deeply involved in motor activity.

	Website: www.news-medical.net Email: [e-mail]

Study Sheds New Insights Into Global Warming Trends

A new multi-institutional study of the temporary slowdown in the global average surface temperature warming trend observed between 1998 and 2013 concludes the phenomenon represented a redistribution of energy within the Earth system, with Earth's ocean absorbing the extra heat. The phenomenon was referred to by some as the "global warming hiatus." Global average surface temperature, measured by satellites and direct observations, is considered a key indicator of climate change.

In a paper published today in Earth's Future, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, lead author Xiao-Hai Yan of the University of Delaware, Newark, along with scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and several other institutions, discuss new understanding of the phenomenon. The paper grew out of a special U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability Program (CLIVAR) panel session at the 2015 American Geophysical Union fall meeting.

"The hiatus period gives scientists an opportunity to understand uncertainties in how climate systems are measured, as well as to fill in the gap in what scientists know," said Yan.

"NASA's examination of ocean observations has provided its own unique contribution to our knowledge of decadal climate trends and global warming," said study co-author Veronica Nieves of JPL and the University of California, Los Angeles. "Scientists have more confidence now that Earth's ocean has continued to warm continuously through time. But the rate of global surface warming can fluctuate due to natural variations in the climate system over periods of a decade or so."

Where's the missing heat?

While Yan said it's difficult to reach complete consensus on such a complex topic, a thorough review of the literature and much discussion and debate revealed a number of key points on which these leading scientists concur:

• From 1998 to 2013, the rate of global mean surface warming slowed, which some call the "global warming hiatus."
• Natural variability plays a large role in the rate of global mean surface warming on decadal time scales.
• Improved understanding of how the ocean distributes and redistributes heat will help the scientific community better monitor Earth's energy budget. Earth's energy budget is a complex calculation of how much energy enters our climate system from the sun and what happens to it: how much is stored by the land, ocean or atmosphere.

"To better monitor Earth's energy budget and its consequences, the ocean is most important to consider because the amount of heat it can store is extremely large when compared to the land or atmospheric capacity," said Yan.

According to the paper, "arguably, ocean heat content -- from the surface to the seafloor -- might be a more appropriate measure of how much our planet is warming."

Charting future research

In the near term, the researchers hope this paper will lay the foundation for future research in the global change field. To begin, they suggest the climate community replace the term "global warming hiatus" with "global surface warming slowdown" to eliminate confusion.

"This terminology more accurately describes the slowdown in global mean surface temperature rise in the late 20th century," Yan said.

The scientists also called for continued support of current and future technologies for ocean monitoring to reduce observation errors in sea surface temperature and ocean heat content. This includes maintaining Argo, the main system for monitoring ocean heat content, and the development of Deep Argo to monitor the lower half of the ocean; the use of ship-based subsurface ocean temperature monitoring programs; advancements in robotic technologies such as autonomous underwater vehicles to monitor waters adjacent to land (like islands or coastal regions); and further development of real- or near-real-time deep ocean remote sensing methods.

Yan's research group reported in a 2015 paper that some coastal oceans (e.g., U.S. East Coast, China Coast) responded faster to the recent global surface warming rate change than the global ocean.

"Although these regions represent only a fraction of the ocean volume, the changing rate of ocean heat content is faster here, and real-time data and more research are needed to quantify and understand what is happening," Yan said.

Variability and heat sequestration over specific regions (e.g., Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern Oceans, etc.) require further investigation, the authors conclude. However, there is broad agreement among the scientists and in the literature that the slowdown in the global mean surface temperature increase from 1998 to 2013 was due to increased uptake of heat energy by the global ocean.

This research was funded by NASA, the National Science Foundation and NOAA. Other participating institutions include the NOAA, Silver Spring, Maryland; the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, Colorado; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California; and the University of Washington, Seattle. The full paper is available at:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016EF000417/abstract

NASA collects data from space, air, land and sea to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing.

Fast Facts

› Latest research into the temporary slowdown in the global average surface temperature warming trend seen between 1998 and 2013 attributes the phenomenon to Earth's ocean absorbing the planet's extra heat.

› On time scales of a decade or so, natural climate variability plays a large role in the rate of global surface warming, but the global average surface temperature is still increasing.

› Improved understanding of how heat is distributed around the globe will help scientists better monitor how Earth responds to this extra heat energy