Gordon Walter Semenoff (born July 11, 1953), , , is a theoretical physicist and professor of physics at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, Canada. He is known for his research on

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...

quantum field theory In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines Field theory (physics), field theory and the principle of relativity with ideas behind quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct phy ...

statistical mechanics In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. Sometimes called statistical physics or statistical thermodynamics, its applicati ...

and

string theory In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...

and is particularly famous for his co-invention, together with Antti Niemi, of the

parity anomaly In theoretical physics a quantum field theory is said to have a parity anomaly if its classical action is invariant under a change of parity of the universe, but the quantum theory is not invariant. This kind of anomaly can occur in odd-dimen ...

in odd-dimensional gauge field theories and for his pioneering work on

graphene Graphene () is a carbon allotrope consisting of a Single-layer materials, single layer of atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, honeycomb planar nanostructure. The name "graphene" is derived from "graphite" and the suffix -ene, indicating ...

. He is also well known for development of thermal field theory, the application of

index theorem Index (: indexes or indices) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index'' * The Index, an item on the Halo Array in the ...

s and their generalizations in quantum field theory and

, notably with respect to the duality between string theories and gauge field theories.

Education and career

Gordon Semenoff was born on July 11, 1953, in

Pincher Creek Pincher Creek is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located immediately east of the Canadian Rockies, west of Lethbridge and south of Calgary. History For centuries before European settlers reached this area and inhabited it, Indig ...

, Alberta, Canada, where he attended Matthew Halton High School, graduating in the Class of 1971. After completing Bachelor of Science (1976) and Doctor of Philosophy (1981) degrees at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Gordon spent one year, 1981–1982, as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta and the subsequent year, 1982–1983, as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Theoretical Physics of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT). In 1983 he was appointed a university research fellow at the

and has spent the remainder of his career to date at that institution, being promoted to full professor in 1990. He has held a number of prestigious visiting appointments, including membership at the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

, New Jersey, in 1984, 1985 and 2000, and visiting professorships at

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...

(ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1986,

Hokkaido University , or , is a public research university in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Founded in 1918, it is the fifth-oldest government-authorised university in Japan and one of the former Imperial Universities. The university finds its roots in Sapporo A ...

in Hokkaido, Japan, in 1989, the

Niels Bohr Institute The Niels Bohr Institute () is a research institute of the University of Copenhagen. The research of the institute spans astronomy, geophysics, nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum mechanics, and biophysics. Overview The institute was foun ...

in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1989, 1999 and 2012,

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

in Uppsala, Sweden, in 2000, the

Institut Henri Poincaré The Henri Poincaré Institute (or IHP for ''Institut Henri Poincaré'') is a mathematics research institute part of Sorbonne University, in association with the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). It is located in the 5th arrondi ...

in Paris, France, in 2001 and 2011, the

Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques The Institut des hautes études scientifiques (IHÉS; English: Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies) is a French research institute supporting advanced research in mathematics and theoretical physics (also with a small theoretical biology g ...

(IHES) in Bures sur Yvette, France, in 2005, 2006 and 2020, the

Isaac Newton Institute The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences is an international research institute for mathematics and its applications at the University of Cambridge. It is named after one of the university's most illustrious figures, the mathematician ...

in Cambridge, U.K. in 2007 and 2012 and the

University of Tours The University of Tours (), formerly François Rabelais University of Tours (), is a public university in Tours, France. Founded in 1969, the university was formerly named after the French writer François Rabelais. It is the largest university ...

in Tours, France, in 2008.

Awards

* Jacob Biely Research Prize,

, 2013 * Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, 2012 *

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

, 2012 * Lifetime Achievement Award of the

Canadian Association of Physicists Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP), or in French Association canadienne des physiciens et physiciennes (ACP) is a Canadian professional society that focuses on creating awareness among Canadians and Canadian legislators of physics issues, sp ...

, 2012 * Doctor of Science, honoris causa,

University of Lethbridge The University of Lethbridge (also known as uLethbridge, uLeth, and U of L) is a public comprehensive and research university located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, with a second campus in Calgary, Alberta. Founded in the liberal arts traditio ...

, Canada, 2011 * Brockhouse Medal for Achievement in Condensed Matter and Material Physics (Canadian Association of Physicists) 2010 *

Majorana Prize The ''Electronic Journal of Theoretical Physics'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed open access scientific journal that was established in 2003. It covers all aspects of theoretical physics. The editors-in-chief are Ammar Sakaji (International Institute ...

2006 * CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, 2000 * Elected as a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

in 2000 * Macdowell Medal of the University of British Columbia in 1990 * Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship, 1989 * Killam Research Prize, University of British Columbia, 1989 * NSERC University Research Fellowship, 1983 * NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1982 * Alberta Graduate Fellowship 1980–1981 * NSERC Postgraduate Fellowship 1976–1980

Publications

* Quantum Field Theory, An Introduction, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. (2023)

References

External links

Publications from Inspire

Web page at the University of British Columbia

Citation for the Order of Canada pic pic

Citation for Lifetime Achievement Award

Citation for Brockhouse Medal

Honorary Doctor of Science

Perimeter Institute Affiliation

Colloquium poster Colloquium poster Public Lecture Public Lecture

/ A Nobel Connection

More graphene

Pincher Creek Echo interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Semenoff, Gordon Canadian string theorists Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Officers of the Order of Canada Living people 1953 births Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada MIT Center for Theoretical Physics people