Robbert Dijkgraaf Joins Simons Foundation Board of Directors
Simons Foundation, June 2021The Simons Foundation is pleased to announce that mathematical physicist Robbert Dijkgraaf has joined its board of directors.
Quanta Magazine Wins Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Science Website
Simons Foundation, May 2021Quanta Magazine is the winner of the 2021 Webby People’s Voice Award for the best website and mobile site in the science category. The award, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and decided by public vote, is one of the most coveted prizes in the digital space.
Shrinking Planets Could Explain Mystery of Universe’s Missing Worlds
Simons Foundation, May 2021There’s been a breakthrough in the case of the missing planets. While planet-hunting missions have discovered thousands of worlds orbiting distant stars, there’s a severe scarcity of exoplanets that measure between 1.5 and two times Earth’s radius. That’s the middle ground between rocky super-Earths and larger, gas-shrouded planets called mini-Neptunes. Since discovering this ‘radius gap’ in 2017, scientists have been sleuthing out why there are so few midsize heavenly bodies.
New Application of Artificial Intelligence Just Removed One of the Biggest Roadblocks in Astrophysics
Simons Foundation, May 2021Using a bit of machine learning magic, astrophysicists can now simulate vast, complex universes in a thousandth of the time it takes with conventional methods. The new approach will help usher in a new era in high-resolution cosmological simulations, its creators report in a study published online May 4 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Quantum Showdown: Competing Methods of Solving Quantum Systems Put to the Test
Simons Foundation, March 2021Unlocking the complexities of quantum systems containing gobs of interacting particles remains one of the most daunting computational challenges ever faced. Scientists have developed many different methods of tackling this problem, but those methods have primarily been developed separately and not directly compared.
Republished by the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research.
New Class of Junior Fellows Joins the Simons Society of Fellows
Simons Foundation, March 2021The Simons Foundation is pleased to announce that 12 outstanding early-career scientists have joined the Simons Society of Fellows as the program’s latest class of Junior Fellows. All based in the New York City area, the Fellows come from a diverse range of fields, including biochemistry, climate science, quantum physics and theoretical computer science.
Quanta Magazine’s ‘The Joy of x’ Podcast Returns for Second Season
Simons Foundation, February 2021Quanta Magazine announces the return of “The Joy of x,” its must-listen science podcast about the pursuit of the unknown, the thrill of discovery, and the heartbreak and frustration along the way. In each of the show’s episodes, host and mathematician Steve Strogatz shares an intimate conversation with one of the world’s leading scientists. Topics range from the promise of quantum computing to hearing you’ve won a Nobel Prize while still dripping wet from a shower.
Astrophysicist Blakesley Burkhart Named a 2021 Sloan Research Fellow
Simons Foundation, February 2021Blakesley Burkhart, an associate research scientist at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics, has been awarded a 2021 Sloan Research Fellowship by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. These fellowships “recognize and reward outstanding early-career faculty who have the potential to revolutionize their fields of study.”
Astrophysicist Rachel Somerville Named a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society
Simons Foundation, February 2021The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has inducted Rachel Somerville as a legacy fellow. The honor recognizes her “contributions toward the society’s mission of enhancing and sharing humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe.” Somerville leads the Galaxy Formation group at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) in New York City.
Eero Simoncelli Leads New Center for Computational Neuroscience
Simons Foundation, January 2021The Simons Foundation is delighted to announce the launch of the Center for Computational Neuroscience (CCN) within the foundation’s Flatiron Institute in New York City. The new center, led by computational neuroscientist Eero Simoncelli, will use and develop computational models to understand how brains work. The CCN joins existing Flatiron Institute centers devoted to computational problems in astrophysics, biology, mathematics and quantum physics.