News & Announcements

Joel Lebowitz has been awarded the 2022 ICTP Dirac Medal

2022 ICTP Dirac Medal Winners Announced

Three share prize for fundamental work in statistical mechanics

2022 ICTP Dirac Medal Winners Announced

ICTP has awarded its 2022 Dirac Medal to three distinguished physicists "for groundbreaking and mathematically rigorous contributions to the understanding of the statistical mechanics of classical and quantum physical systems".

Joel Lebowitz award-winner of the 2014 GRANDE MÉDAILLE of the French Académie des Sciences

Each year, the French Académie des sciences awards prizes. The most prestigious of these is the "Grande Médaille".  The Prizes are handed over officially to the laureates in a Ceremony under the Dome of the Institut de France.

Joel Lebowitz, a man of science and peace, is the award-winner of the 2014 Grande Médaille of the French Académie des sciences.

Press Release

Joel Lebowitz has been awarded the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society's 2021 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics

Joel Lebowitz awarded the 2021 Dannie Heineman Prize in Mathematical Physics

We are proud to announce that Distinguised Professor Joel Lebowitz has been selected to receive the 2021 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics of the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society.  The citation for the prize will read "for seminal contributions to nonequilibrium and equilibrium statistical mechanics, in particular, studies of large deviations in nonequilibrium steady states and rigorous analysis of Gibbs equilibrium ensembles."

 The prize is awarded solely for valuable published contributions made in the field of mathematical physics and, although it may be shared by more than one person, Joel is the SOLE recipient for 2021!

Positions and Academic Jobs

Positions and Academic Jobs

  • IN SEARCH OF JOB OPPORTUNITY 
    S. A. Sergeev, PhD in math
    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/S_Sergeev2
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/serge-sergeev-3762a7126/
    He currently works in the Russian Academy of Science and does research in the field of semiclassical analysis and asymptotic for the linear theory of wave propagation (for example water waves or waves in crystals). Recently he added to his research some problems about asymptotic eigenfunctions of the Laplace operator for large eigenvalues.
    He is also an associate professor in Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology where he developed program for students of 2-nd and 3-rd grades about numerical analysis and computational Mathematics. Also he has read courses about complex-variable functions and calculus.
  • For various other job postings visit academickeys.com and https://facultyvacancies.com/
  • Postdoctoral Postions at JNCASR, Bangalore, India Applications are invited for postdoctoral positions in the group of S. Sastry at JNCASR. Ongoing research in the group focusses on yielding and memory formation in amorphous solids, glassy dynamics, jamming, self assembly, nucleation and related themes. http://www.jncasr.ac.in/sastry. Suitable candidates should have interests broadly in statistical mechanics and soft condensed matter physics, with experience in computational investigations in these fields. Applications including a CV, list of publications, research interests should be sent by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  • Postdoc positions 3D experiments on the collective behaviour of biological systems, at the Institute for Complex Systems of the CNR in Rome, Italy. We are looking for postdoctoral fellows interested in performing experimental research at the interface between physics and biology. The aim of our group is to study the collective phenomena of life through a close interplay between experimental data on biological groups in their natural environment and statistical physics methods. The candidates will conduct experimental data-taking campaigns in the field, on bird flocks and insect swarms. A strong emphasis will be put on the comparison between theory and experiments. The postdocs will join the COBBS Group in Rome (Collective Behaviour in Biological Systems), and work under the supervision of A. Cavagna and S. Melillo. The duration of the positions is two years, potentially extendable. The positions will be funded by the  ERC Advanced Grant RG.BIO to Andrea Cavagna. www.cobbs.it and erc-rgbio.eu. Applications should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a cv and the contact details of senior scientists who can provide recommendation letters (only upon our request).  Although there is no sharp deadline for these positions, earlier applications will be given higher priority.
  • Postdoc at Physics Dept., with D. Sivak,  Simon Fraser U, Vancouver, CanadaPostdoc in stochastic thermodynamics of molecular machines, developing theory and numerical simulation for the design, analysis, and interpretation of experiments probing the fundamentals of effective molecular-scale energy transduction, both in model biophysical systems and molecular machines. Within this broad research thrust there is ample freedom to pursue particular areas of personal scientific interest. Initial 1 year appointment; renewable with mutual agreement. Start date is flexible.http://davidsivak.com/postdocad.html
  • Department of Physics, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong is hiring an Assistant Professor .
    Job ad on Department of Physics:https://physics.hkbu.edu.hk/job-vacancies
    Job ad on Human Resources Office: https://hro.hkbu.edu.hk/index.php?page_id=6&job_id=6957&f=job_details
  • University Job Portal: View the recent jobs on https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Funiversityjobportals.com%2Fcandidates&data=05%7C01%7Clebowitz%40math.rutgers.edu%7C22c70cacf80b4c106cf808da5a60e500%7Cb92d2b234d35447093ff69aca6632ffe%7C1%7C0%7C637921669474142199%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=air9Rjgw7osCWYfgmhwK5%2BHmYUwlakJ2AdBetcJ0V60%3D&reserved=0
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)Faculty Position in experimental condensed matter or experimental quantum information physics The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Department of Physics invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position with a research focus in experimental condensed matter or experimental quantum information physics, to begin in or before August 2023. All research programs within these two fields will be given equal consideration, however complementing existing expertise in the department is desirable. Candidates are expected to contribute to the diversity and excellence of the department through research, teaching, and service. We seek candidates who have the capacity to establish a vigorous, externally funded research program and who are able to teach effectively across both the undergraduate and graduate physics curricula. A PhD in Physics or in a closely related field is required. UMBC is a dynamic public research university (R1) integrating teaching, research and service. It is located in the Baltimore suburbs, 15 minutes from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and 30minutes from Washington D.C., in an area with a high concentration of federal and private research laboratories and research universities. The Department of Physics currently consists of21 tenure-track and 6 research faculty, 3 full-time lecturers, 54 PhD students and 120undergraduate majors. The department offers a BS and BA in Physics, and PhD degrees in Physics and in Atmospheric Physics. Research expenditures currently exceed $6M per year. For more information, see http://physics.umbc.edu.UMBC and the Department of Physics are dedicated to creating an inclusive, collegial environment where all faculty members can achieve excellence. Thus, candidates from diverse backgrounds, including women and under-represented minorities, are particularly encouraged to apply. Interest and experience in working with a diverse student and faculty population is valued. The Department of Physics has an active Graduate Women in Physics group and an Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics group, and has ties with the nationally acclaimed Meyerhoff Scholars Program. Information on faculty diversity initiatives and faculty groups is available at http://facultydiversity.umbc.edu, and information on the resources provided to help balance work and personal priorities are available at http://hr.umbc.edu/work-life-balance/. UMBC is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Interested candidates should upload an application letter, a CV, detailed research and teaching plans, a statement of commitment to inclusive excellence in higher education, and the names and addresses of at least three references on the Interfolio website athttp://apply.interfolio.com/110682. The inclusive excellence statement should include an explanation of the candidate’s commitment and demonstrated or potential ability to contribute to diversity, inclusion, and equity in teaching, mentoring, recruiting, and departmental climate. Applications will be received until a suitable candidate is identified. Applications submitted by November 15, 2022 will receive full consideration.

Other Events

OTHER CONFERENCES AND EVENTS:

“Computational social science and complex systems”, The 9th IEEE International Conference on Data Science and Advanced Analytics, October 13-16, 2022, Hybrid (Virtual and Onsite), Shenzhen, China
The “computational social science and complex system is a special session of the IEEE 9th conference on data science. Researchers from different disciplines and methodological backgrounds are welcome to submit their papers and exchange ideas, research questions, and recent results. Topics range from the “Online communication and (mis)information diffusion” to “E-democracy and government-citizen interaction”. The website of the session is https://www.eee.hku.hk/~zrwang/dsaa2022.html .
The website of the main conference and the list of keynote speakers is: http://dsaa2022.dsaa.co/#:~:text=The%209th%20IEEE%20International%20Conference,for%20data%20science%20and%20analytics.

Two days with G. Parisi in Paris, France The Physics Department of ENS Paris is organizing a conference to celebrate the award of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics to Giorgio Parisi October 12-14 2022. Please find all the information here: https://sites.google.com/view/parisiday-ens/home
Registration is open, free but mandatory.

Half a century of statistical mechanics covered by the semi-annual Yeshiva/Rutgers meetings

A two-part special issue of the Journal of Statistical Physics celebrating half a century of statistical mechanics covered by the semi-annual Yeshiva/Rutgers meetings, has been published by Springer Publishing.

You can view the online version of the issues here: "Looking back, looking forward: A celebration of 50 years of statistical mechanics I"
"Looking back, looking forward: A celebration of 50 years of statistical mechanics II"

An article honoring Professor Joel Lebowitz for his help defending human rights of scientists appeared in Rutgers FOCUS in March 2005

When the American Physical Society named math and physics professor Joel Lebowitz the recipient of its Nicholson Medal for humanitarian service, his friends and colleagues were quick to affirm the society's citation of Lebowitz for his "tireless personal activism throughout his superb career... to help scientists and defend their human rights in countries around the globe."
To read entire article click HERE.