Ideas

Meet Beatrix Muehlmann, Member in the School of Natural Sciences, who is curious about the origin and fate of the universe. In this Q&A, she details her efforts to describe gravity through the principles of quantum mechanics, her admiration for mathematical physicist Emmy Noether, and the joy of being a part of a group of scientists interested in fundamental questions.

Digvijay Wadekar, Member in the School of Natural Sciences (2021–24), reflects on the evolving nature of problem-solving in modern physics and how the Institute for Advanced Study supports both interdisciplinary collaboration and individual inquiry.

Lia Medeiros, Visitor in the Institute for Advanced Study's School of Natural Sciences (2023–24), describes how she created a machine learning algorithm to produce new images of the black hole at the center of our galaxy, and how such images can be used to test Albert Einstein's theory of gravity.

Why does the immune system target one particular molecular feature over another, and how does that selection affect the evolution of cancer and viruses? Benjamin Greenbaum, Long-term Member (2008–13) in the School of Natural Sciences, highlights his work on the theory of self versus non-self discrimination.

The work of plasma fusion physicists may seem completely divorced from the realm of theoretical astrophysics, but, as Chris Hamilton, John N. Bahcall Fellow in the School of Natural Sciences, explains, the mathematical methods developed to exploit the power of the electrons, ions, and magnetic fields in fusion plasmas are precisely the same as those needed to describe the dynamics of stars, spiral arms, and dark matter in galaxies like the Milky Way. 

Weishun Zhong, Member in the School of Natural Sciences, uses tools from statistical physics to study the brain and AI. "Although these two might appear very different at first glance," he states, "when zoomed out and abstracted away, they are both just networks of basic units called neurons."

In this excerpt, Freeman Dyson, Faculty (1952–2020) in the School of Natural Sciences, ascends the New Court clock tower at St. John’s College, Cambridge during a wartime blackout.

The unparalleled resolution of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) images of the black holes at the center of the M87 galaxy and at the center of our galaxy, called Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), allows us to test assumptions, predictions, and alternatives to Einstein’s theory of gravity. 

The life and work of renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast Freeman Dyson, who spent most of his career at the Institute for Advanced Study, is the focus of a new book edited by American physicist and historian of science David Kaiser.

Sophie Lund Schrøder is a Member in the School of Natural Sciences. She will spend her time at IAS applying numerical methods and analytic modeling to study high-energy astrophysical phenomena, especially evolution of stellar binaries.