Robert Myers

Robert Myers profile picture
Director, Perimeter Institute
BMO Financial Group Isaac Newton Chair in Theoretical Physics
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Areas of research:
Robert Myers is one of the leading theoretical physicists working in the area of quantum fields and strings. He received his Ph.D. at Princeton University in 1986, after which he was a postdoctoral researcher at what became the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He moved to McGill University in 1989, where he was a Professor of Physics until moving to Perimeter Institute and the University of Waterloo in the summer of 2001. Professor Myers was awarded the Herzberg Medal in 1999 by the Canadian Association of Physicists for seminal contributions to our understanding of black hole microphysics and D-branes. He is also the 2005 winner of Canada's top prize in theoretical and mathematical physics awarded by the Canadian Association of Physicists and the Centre de Recherches Mathématiques . More recently, he was awarded the 2012 Vogt Medal by the Canadian Association of Physicists and TRIUMF for outstanding theoretical contributions to subatomic physics. In 2006, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada . He is one of the few people to have won the first-place award in the Gravity Research Foundation Essay Contest more than once (winning in 1995 and 1997). Past winners of this contest, which was established for the purpose of stimulating thought and encouraging work on gravitation, include Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose. Professor Myers was named as one of only three Canadian physicists on the list of the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2014 , the Thomson Reuters list of top 1% of researchers who wrote most cited papers in their field over the period 2002 to 2012. In fact, he appeared again as the only Canadian physicist in the next edition of this list, the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015 , covering the period 2003 to 2013. Professor Myers is also an associate fellow of the Cosmology and Gravity Program of the Canadian Institute For Advanced Research , a uniquely Canadian enterprise devoted to networking top-flight researchers from across the country. From 2001 to 2005, he was a founding member on the scientific advisory board of the Banff International Research Station , a facility devoted to hosting workshops and meetings in the mathematical sciences and related areas. Professor Myers has also served on the editorial boards of the following research journals: Annals of Physics (January 2002 - July 2012) and Journal of High Energy Physics (May 2007 - present). Though his current activities are centered at Perimeter Institute, Professor Myers remains active in both teaching and supervising graduate students with his cross-appointment as an Adjunct Professor in the Physics Department at the University of Waterloo.
I am a member of the Quantum Fields and Strings group at Perimeter. While I have broad interests in theoretical physics, my research has primarily focused on gravitational aspects of string theory. Much of my recent work has involved developing applications of a set of theoretical tools that has emerged from string theory, known as the AdS/CFT correspondence or more broadly as gauge/gravity duality. Currently, I am also very interested in studying the growing connections between quantum gravity and quantum information theory.
  • Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2017
  • Acting Director, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 2017
  • Acting Director, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 2015
  • Chair of the Faculty, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 2011-2018
  • Faculty Chair, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 2010-2018
  • Adjunct Professor, Department of Physics, University of Waterloo, 2008-2009
  • Interim Scientific Director, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 2007-2008
  • Visiting Physicist, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2006-2007
  • Visiting Physicist, Centre de Physique Theorique, Ecole Polytechnique, 2006-present
  • Visiting Physicist, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2004-present
  • Full Professor, Department of Physics, University of Waterloo, 2003-2008
  • Visiting Physicist, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2003-2008
  • Adjunct Professor, Department of Physics, University of Waterloo, 2001-2003
  • Full Professor, Department of Physics, McGill University, 2000-2003
  • Visiting Physicist, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1999
  • Visiting Physicist, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1997-1998
  • Associate Professor, Department of Physics, McGill University, 1994-1999
  • Visiting Physicist, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1993
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, McGill University, 1989-1994
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1986-1989
  • Ranked Among Best Scientists for 2023, Research.com, 2023
  • 2023 CAP Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Physics, Canadian Asssociation of Physicists, 2023
  • Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate Analytics, 2021
  • Simons VarXiv project, Co-PI, Simons Foundation, 2020-2023
  • "It from Qubit" Collaboration Grant, Simons Foundation, 2019-2023
  • Discovery Grant, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), 2019-2024
  • Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Waterloo, 2018
  • Simons Emmy Noether Fellow Program, Co-PI, Simons Foundation, 2018-2023
  • Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate Analytics, 2017
  • Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate Analytics, 2016
  • World's Most Infuential Scientific Minds, Thomson Reuters, 2015
  • World's Most Influential Scientific Minds, Thomson Reuters, 2014
  • Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Governor General of Canada, 2013
  • Vogt Medal, Canadian Association of Physicists and TRIUMF, 2012
  • Paper selected as a highlight of 2008-2009, Editorial Board of Classical and Quantum Gravity, 2009
  • Elected fellow of the Society for having achieved distinction, Royal Society of Canada, 2006
  • Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, CAP-CRM, 2005
  • Herzberg Medal, Canadian Association of Physicists, 1999
  • Appointed Associate Member of the Program on Cosmology and Gravity, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, 1998
  • Essay Contest, 1st place, Gravity Research Foundation, 1988
  • Alumni Gold Medal, University of Waterloo, 1982
  • Joseph Henry Award, Princeton University, 1982
  • Lloyd G. Elliot Prize, Canadian Association of Physicists, 1982
  • NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship, Princeton University, 1982
  • Abajian, J., Aprile, F., Myers, R. C., & Vieira, P. (n.d.). Holography and correlation functions of huge operators: spacetime bananas. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2023(12), 58. doi:10.1007/jhep12(2023)058
  • Jørstad, E., Myers, R. C., & Ruan, S. -M. (n.d.). Complexity=anything: singularity probes. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2023(7), 223. doi:10.1007/jhep07(2023)223
  • Abajian, J., Aprile, F., Myers, R. C., & Vieira, P. (2023). Correlation Functions of Huge Operators in AdS$_3$/CFT$_2$: Domes, Doors and Book Pages. doi:10.48550/arxiv.2307.13188
  • Baiguera, S., Berman, R., Chapman, S., & Myers, R. C. (n.d.). The cosmological switchback effect. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2023(7), 162. doi:10.1007/jhep07(2023)162
  • Abajian, J., Aprile, F., Myers, R. C., & Vieira, P. (2023). Holography and Correlation Functions of Huge Operators: Spacetime Bananas. doi:10.48550/arxiv.2306.15105
  • Belin, A., Myers, R. C., Ruan, S. -M., Sárosi, G., & Speranza, A. J. (n.d.). Complexity equals anything II. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2023(1), 154. doi:10.1007/jhep01(2023)154
  • Jørstad, E., Myers, R. C., & Ruan, S. -M. (n.d.). Holographic complexity in dSd+1. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2022(5), 119. doi:10.1007/jhep05(2022)119
  • Grimaldi, G., Hernandez, J., & Myers, R. C. (2022). Quantum extremal islands made easy. Part IV. Massive black holes on the brane. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2022(3), 136. doi:10.1007/jhep03(2022)136
  • Belin, A., Myers, R. C., Ruan, S. -M., Sárosi, G., & Speranza, A. J. (2022). Does Complexity Equal Anything?. Physical Review Letters, 128(8), 081602. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.128.081602
  • Hernandez, J., Myers, R. C., & Ruan, S. -M. (n.d.). Quantum extremal islands made easy. Part III. Complexity on the brane. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2021(2), 173. doi:10.1007/jhep02(2021)173
  • Chen, H. Z., Fisher, Z., Hernandez, J., Myers, R. C., & Ruan, S. -M. (n.d.). Evaporating black holes coupled to a thermal bath. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2021(1), 65. doi:10.1007/jhep01(2021)065
  • Panel Discussion - Black hole puzzles (Di Filippo, Gregory, Holdom, Myers, Stelle), Puzzles in the Quantum Gravity Landscape: viewpoints from different approaches, 2023/10/26, PIRSA:23100015
  • Complexity = (almost) anything, It from Qubit 2023, 2023/08/01, PIRSA:23080005
  • test, 2023/07/31
  • Complexity = (Almost) Anything, Gravity, Strings and Fields: A Conference in Honour of Gordon Semenoff, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada, 2023/06/26
  • Scanning New Horizons: Information, Holography and Gravity, 2023 CAP Congress, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada, 2023/06/21
  • Complexity = (Almost) Anything, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Brazil, 2023/06/17
  • Panel Discussion: Open questions in Black Holes, Quantum Simulators of Fundamental Physics, 2023/06/07, PIRSA:23060016
  • Complexity = Anything, APS April Meeting 2023 Minneapolis, Minnesota (Apr 15-18), American Physical Society, College Park, United States, 2023/04/15
  • SciCollider Conference, Perimeter Institute, Waterloo, Canada, 2023/04/12
  • Complexity = Anything, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg; Am Hubland, Würzburg, 97074, Germany, 2023/03/27
  • Complexity Equals Anything, University of Michigan High Energy Theory Seminar Series, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, United States, 2023/01/27
  • Introducing Perimeter's Strategic EDI Plan, Colloquium, 2022/11/09, PIRSA:22110051
  • Complexity=Anything, Verlinde Symposium, University of Amsterdam, 2022/07/15
  • How can we use information in quantum gravity?, Quantum Information Structure of Spacetime conference, Western University, London, ON, 2022/06/09
  • Complexity=Anything^2, Informational Architecture of Spacetime Workshop, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan (online conference), 2022/05/29
  • Complexity=Anything^2, HoloTube seminar series (online), 2022/05/17
  • Complexity=Anything^2, Joint Israeli High-Energy-Theory Seminar series (online), 2022/04/26
  • Complexity=Anything^2, Gravity, Quantum Fields and Information (AEI)-Ghent University-Warsaw String Theory seminar series (online), 2022/01/25
  • Complexity=Anything^2, Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India (online), 2022/01/10
  • Complexity, Holography & Quantum Field Theory, Oxford Complexity Meeting (hybrid conference), University of Oxford, UK (talk online), 2021/12/06
  • Complexity, Holography & Quantum Field Theory, Applications of Quantum Information Theory in Quantum Field Theory and Cosmology workshop, Lethbridge University, Lethbridge, Alberta (online conference), 2021/11/22
  • Complexity, Holography & Quantum Field Theory, Ben Gurion University (online), 2021/11/15
  • Complexity, Holography & Quantum Field Theory, International Workshop on Quantum Artificial Intelligence, Shanghai (hybrid workshop, talk online), 2021/07/06
  • The Challenge for Institutions, Panel discussion at Sustainable HEP workshop, CERN (online), 2021/06/28
  • Black hole information paradox, Strings 2021, SAIFR, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2021/06/25
  • Quantum Extremal Islands Made Easy, Quarks Online Workshop 2021: Quantum Gravity and Cosmology (dedicated to A.D. Sakharov's centennial), Russian Federation, 2021/06/25
  • Quantum Extremal Islands Made Easy, University of Alabama (online), 2021/04/23
  • Quantum Extremal Islands Made Easy, Rencontres Théoriciennes seminar series, Paris (online), 2021/04/01