Michael S. Turner (born July 29, 1949)
is an American theoretical
cosmologist who coined the term ''
dark energy
In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on the largest scales. Its primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe. It also slows the rate of structure format ...
'' in 1998.
He is the Rauner Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Physics at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
,
having previously served as the Bruce V. & Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor,
and as the assistant director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences for the US
National Science Foundation
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
.
Turner's book ''The Early Universe'', co-written with fellow Chicago cosmologist
Edward Kolb, is a standard text on the subject.
The 2003 National Academy study, ''Connecting quarks with the cosmos: eleven science questions for the new century'', which Turner chaired, identified opportunities at the intersection of astronomy and physics and has helped shape science investment in the US in this area.
In 2022, Turner was appointed as a co-leader, with
Maria Spiropulu, of a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine study, leading a committee of 17 physicists world-wide to consider the strategic vision of research in elementary particle physics.
Education
Turner received a
B.S. in physics from the
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...
in 1971 and earned a PhD in physics from
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
in 1978.
Career
Turner became an instructor in physics at Stanford University in 1978 and was a fellow at the
Enrico Fermi Institute
__NOTOC__
The Institute for Nuclear Studies was founded September 1945 as part of the University of Chicago with Samuel King Allison as director. On November 20, 1955, it was renamed The Enrico Fermi Institute for Nuclear Studies. The name was ...
from 1978 to 1980. He was a visiting professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, from 1981 to 1982 and became a scientist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill, in 1983.
Turner joined the faculty of the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
as an assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics in 1980, rising to associate professor and then full professor as of 1985. He served as chair of the department from 1997 to 2003 and was named the Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics in 1998.
He held a joint appointment as one of the founding members of the NASA/Fermilab Theoretical Astrophysics Group at the NASA
Fermilab
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), located in Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a United States Department of Energy United States Department of Energy National Labs, national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle phys ...
Astrophysics Center (NFAC).
In addition, Turner served as the president of the
Aspen Center for Physics from 1989 to 1993 and as the assistant director of the National Science Foundation for Mathematical and Physical Sciences from 2003 to 2006.
He has served on committees for the Department of Energy, NASA, NSF, the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.
Turner was president of 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 ...
in 2013.
From 2010 to 2019, Turner served as director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. He was succeeded as director by
Edward Kolb.
By 2020, Turner was the Rauner Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Physics at UChicago.
Research
With
Edward Kolb, Turner helped establish the interdisciplinary field of particle astrophysics, combining cosmology and elementary particle physics to understand the origin and evolution of the Universe.
His research focuses on the earliest moments of creation, and he has made contributions to inflationary cosmology, particle dark matter and structure formation, the theory of big bang nucleosynthesis, and the nature of dark energy.
His work in
precision cosmology combines theoretical work with measurement to better understand and test theories and models using cosmological data.
Awards
* 1984,
Helen B. Warner Prize of the
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...
* 1986,
Fellow of the American Physical Society
The American Physical Society honors members with the designation ''Fellow'' for having made significant accomplishments to the field of physics.
The following lists are divided chronologically by the year of designation.
* List of fellows of the ...
, "For outstanding work at the interface of particle physics and cosmology which has led to a new understanding of the early Universe."
* 1996, Fellow,
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
* 1997,
Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of 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 ...
* 1997, Member,
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, 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 ...
* 1999,
Klopsteg Memorial Award,
American Association of Physics Teachers
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) was founded in 1930 for the purpose of "dissemination of knowledge of physics, particularly by way of teaching." There are more than 10,000 members in over 30 countries. AAPT publications includ ...
* 2005, Fellow in Physics,
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
* 2010,
Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics
The Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics is jointly awarded each year by the American Astronomical Society and American Institute of Physics for outstanding work in astrophysics. It is funded by the Heineman Foundation in honour of Dannie Hein ...
of the
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...
and the
American Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) promotes science and the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies. Its corpora ...
* 2017, Member,
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
* 2020, Legacy Fellow of the
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...
External links
Research page at University of Chicago Astronomy Department* Video intervie
Theoretical Cosmology
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Michael S.
1949 births
Living people
American cosmologists
Fellows of the American Physical Society
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Winners of the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics
University of Chicago faculty
California Institute of Technology alumni
Stanford University alumni
Scientists from California
20th-century American astronomers
21st-century American astronomers
20th-century American physicists
Members of the American Philosophical Society
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Fellows of the American Astronomical Society
Presidents of the American Physical Society
Aspen Center for Physics people