Michael Duff is a theoretical physicist who has made significant contributions to the unification of quantum mechanics and Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. His work has been instrumental in the development of quantum gravity, supergravity, string theory and M-theory.
He was instrumental in the discovery of conformal anomalies and the applications of index theorems in supergravity. He is also known for his early work on Kaluza–Klein theory, a unified field theory of gravitation and the other forces in higher spacetime dimensions. Michael also wrote the first book devoted to M-theory, The World in Eleven Dimensions: Supergravity, Supermembranes and M-theory, which he published in 1999.
Michael is an elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society. He is Recipient of the 2004 Meeting Gold Medal, El Colegio Nacional, Mexico, the 2017 Paul Dirac Gold Medal and Prize, Institute of Physics, UK and the 2018 Trotter Prize, USA. His scientific ideas have been published in newspapers and magazines such as The Independent, The Guardian and New Scientist.
Professional position
- Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London
Subject groups
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Mathematics
Applied mathematics and theoretical physics
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Astronomy and Physics
Elementary particle physics, Gravitation
