Jorge Pullin Named Fellow of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 1,  2016      

BATON ROUGE – The International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation, ISGRG, has awarded Jorge Pullin, the Horace Hearne Chair in Theoretical Physics in the LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy as well as the co-director of the Horace Hearne Institute for Theoretical Physics, as a Fellow. Pullin was named for his outstanding contributions to loop quantum gravity, black hole binaries, and the foundations of quantum mechanics, and for his service within the US and international relativity community.

PullinISGRG is an international learned society and elects Fellows from among leading scientists in its membership. Considered among the highest international recognition in the field of general relativity and gravitation, only ten Fellows were inducted this year. Pullin joins an induction class of physicists including Stephen Hawking, Kip Thorne, and Abhay Ashtekar.

Pullin’s research addresses the interface between gravity and quantum theory, specifically in the area of loop quantum gravity. His research has involved probing how space-time inside black holes is affected by quantum theory. He now also focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics.

According to John F. DiTusa, professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, “Professor Pullin’s work on the connections among loop quantum gravity, black hole binaries, and the foundations of quantum mechanics is truly innovative and influential. This Fellowship recognizes Prof. Pullin’s important contributions to the fundamental properties of our universe including the physics of black holes and loop quantum theory.”

As Louisiana’s flagship institution for research, LSU plays a leading role as a catalyst for change in the State, nation and world. University researchers are at the forefront in developing innovative technology, scholarship and programs, while educating and developing a new generation of leadership to engage in scientific discovery.

Pullin received his doctorate in physics from the Instituto Balseiro in Bariloche, Argentina. He served for a time as the interim director and Focus Area Head of the LSU Center for Computation and Technology, and is the founding editor of the journal Physical Review X, published by the American Physical Society.

Formed in 1971, ISGRG purposes are to promote the study of GRG and to exchange information in the interest of its members and the profession. For more information and a listing of ISGRG Fellows, visit http://www.isgrg.org/fellows.php.

 

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Mimi LaValle

LSU Physics & Astronomy

External Relations Manager

225-578-1194

mlavall@lsu.edu