Joel Louis Lebowitz (born May 10, 1930) is a mathematical physicist known for his contributions to statistical physics,

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 many other fields of

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

. He is a founding editor of the Journal of Statistical Physics and has served as president of the New York Academy of Sciences. Lebowitz is the George William Hill Professor of Mathematics and Physics at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

. He is also an active member of the human rights community and a co-chair of the Committee of Concerned Scientists.

Biography

Lebowitz was born in 1930 to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in Taceva,

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

(now

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he was deported with his family to Auschwitz, where his father, his mother, and his younger sister were killed in 1944 as a result of the Holocaust. After being liberated from the camp, he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

by boat, where he studied at an Orthodox Jewish school and Brooklyn College. He earned his PhD at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

in 1956 under the supervision of Peter G. Bergmann. He then continued his research with Lars Onsager, at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where he attained a faculty position. He moved to the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a Private university, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely de ...

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area and is the site of Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub. As of the ...

in 1957 and to the Belfer Graduate School of Science at Yeshiva University in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1959. Finally, he received a faculty position at

in 1977, where he holds the ''George William Hill Professor'' position. During his time at the

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

and

, he has been in contact with several scientists, and artists, like Fumio Yoshimura and

Kate Millett Katherine Murray Millett (September 14, 1934 – September 6, 2017) was an American feminist writer, educator, artist, and activist. She attended the University of Oxford and was the first American woman to be awarded a degree with first-clas ...

. In 1975 he founded the Journal of Statistical Physics. In 1979 he was president of the New York Academy of Sciences. He has been one of the most active supporters of dissident scientists in the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, especially refusenik scientists.

Scientific legacy

Along with Elliott Lieb, Lebowitz proved that the Coulomb interactions obey the

thermodynamic limit In statistical mechanics, the thermodynamic limit or macroscopic limit, of a system is the Limit (mathematics), limit for a large number of particles (e.g., atoms or molecules) where the volume is taken to grow in proportion with the number of ...

. He also established what are now known as Lebowitz inequalities for the ferromagnetic

Ising model The Ising model (or Lenz–Ising model), named after the physicists Ernst Ising and Wilhelm Lenz, is a mathematical models in physics, mathematical model of ferromagnetism in statistical mechanics. The model consists of discrete variables that r ...

. His current research interests lie in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. He became editor-in-chief of the '' Journal of Statistical Physics'' in 1975, and held the position until September 2018. Lebowitz hosts a biannual series of conferences, first at

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

and later at

, which has been running for 60 years. He is also known as a co-editor of an influential review series, '' Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena''.

Awards and honors

Lebowitz has been awarded: the Boltzmann Medal (1992); the Nicholson Medal (2004) awarded by the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

; the Delmer S. Fahrney Medal (1995); the

Henri Poincaré Prize The Henri Poincaré Prize is awarded every three years since 1997 for exceptional achievements in mathematical physics and foundational contributions leading to new developments in the field. It is named after the French mathematician Henri Poincar ...

(2000); the Volterra Award (2001); and the Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics (2021) "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." Lebowitz was awarded the

Max Planck Medal The Max Planck Medal is the highest award of the German Physical Society , the world's largest organization of physicists, for extraordinary achievements in theoretical physics. The prize has been awarded annually since 1929, with few exceptions ...

in 2007, "for his important contributions to the statistical physics of equilibrium and non-equilibrium systems, in particular his contributions to the theory of phase transitions, the dynamics of infinite systems, and the stationary non-equilibrium states" and "for his promoting of new directions of this field at its farthest front, and for enthusiastically introducing several generations of scientists to the field." In 2014 he received the Grande Médaille of the French Academy of Sciences. In 2022, he was awarded the Dirac Medal of the ICTP. Lebowitz is a member of the

United States National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

. In 1966, he became a fellow of the

and in 2012, he became a fellow of the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

. He received an honorary DS degree at

's 158th Commencement in 2012.

References

External links

*
''Laudatio for Joel L. Lebowitz'' by David Ruelle (IHES, Paris) at the Poincaré Prize Ceremony (2000)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lebowitz, Joel Louis 1930 births Living people Mathematical physicists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Ukrainian Jews American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent 20th-century American mathematicians Rutgers University faculty Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Auschwitz concentration camp survivors Fellows of the American Mathematical Society Thermodynamicists Brooklyn College alumni Fellows of the American Physical Society Winners of the Max Planck Medal Recipients of the Boltzmann Medal