WATERLOO, Ontario, Canada, October 1, 2010 - Dr. Neil Turok, Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI), is pleased to announce the appointment of an additional four eminent international scientists to serve on Perimeter Institute's Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).

In making the announcement, Dr. Turok stated, “These outstanding scientists will provide crucial guidance as the Institute expands, ensuring that our research and training programs continue to grow and flourish in exciting new directions.”

Brian Greene is a Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Columbia University, where he is co-Director of the Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics (ISCAP). Professor Greene has made groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory, exploring the physical implications and mathematical properties of the extra dimensions the theory posits. His current research centres on string cosmology, seeking to understand the physics of the universe’s first moments. Professor Greene is well known for his work on communicating theoretical physics for general audiences, and his books include The Elegant Universe, which has sold more than a million copies worldwide; The Fabric of the Cosmos, which spent six months on the New York Times Best Seller List; and Icarus at the Edge of Time, A Children’s Tale. A three-part NOVA special based on The Elegant Universe won both the Emmy and Peabody Awards.

Renate Loll is a Professor of Theoretical Physics and a member of the Institute for Theoretical Physics in the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy at Utrecht University. Her research centres on quantum gravity, the search for a consistent theory that describes the microscopic constituents of spacetime geometry and the quantum-dynamical laws governing their interaction. She has made major contributions to loop quantum gravity and, with her collaborators, has proposed a novel theory of quantum gravity via ‘Causal Dynamical Triangulations.’ Dr. Loll heads one of the largest research groups on nonperturbative quantum gravity worldwide, and is the recipient of a prestigious personal VICI-grant of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. Professor Loll is a Perimeter Institute Distinguished Research Chair, and is also a lecturer in the Perimeter Scholars International program at the Institute.

Erik Verlinde is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Amsterdam. Professor Verlinde is world-renowned for his many contributions, which include Verlinde algebra and the Verlinde formula, which are important in conformal field theory and topological field theory. His research centres on string theory, gravity, black holes and cosmology. He recently proposed a holographic theory of gravity which appears to lead naturally to the observed values of dark energy in the universe.

Birgitta Whaley is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is Director of the Berkeley Quantum Information and Computation Center. Professor Whaley’s research centres on understanding and manipulating quantum dynamics of atoms, molecules and nanomaterials in complex environments to explore fundamental issues in quantum behavior. She has made major contributions to the analysis and control of decoherence and universality in quantum information processing, as well as to analysis of physical implementations of quantum computation. Professor Whaley is also known for her theory of molecular solvation in nanoscale superfluid helium systems. Current research includes theoretical aspects of quantum information science, quantum simulation of exotic topological phases and exploration of quantum effects in biological systems.

For further information contact:
Mike Brown
Communications Specialist
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
519-569-7600 x5131
mbrown[at]perimeterinstitute.ca