Christopher Michael Hull (born 1957)[2] FRS FInstP[3] is a professor of theoretical physics at Imperial College London.[4] Hull is known for his work on string theory, M-theory, and generalized complex structures.[5] Edward Witten drew partially from Hull's work for his development of M-theory.[6]
Chris Hull | |
|---|---|
| Born | Christopher Michael Hull 1957 (age 66–67)[2] |
| Education | Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (BA, PhD) |
| Awards | Dirac Medal (IOP) (2003) Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2002) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theoretical physics |
| Institutions | Imperial College London |
| Thesis | The structure and stability of the vacua of supergravity (1983) |
| Doctoral advisor | Gary Gibbons[1] |
| Website | imperial |
Education
Hull was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School[2] and the University of Cambridge where he was a student of King's College, Cambridge and awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979 followed by a PhD in 1983 for research supervised by Gary Gibbons.[1][7]
Career and research
Hull conducts research into quantum gravity, a field that aims to discover a unifying theory of quantum theory and general relativity.[3] His particular contributions have been made to superstring theory, which models particles and forces as vibrations of 'supersymmetric strings', and supergravity, which combines supersymmetry with general relativity.[3]
Many mathematical challenges facing quantum gravity are being met through Hull's efforts to bring in, and extend, techniques from geometry and field theory.[3] His work laid the foundations of M-theory, which brings together apparently competing theories.[3] Overall success in quantum gravity would revolutionise our understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and the origins of, and evolution, of our Universe.[3]
He leads a major research programme in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, with investigations that include extended geometries, flux geometries and holographic structures.[3]
Awards and honours
Hull was awarded a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2002 and the Paul Dirac Medal and Prize by the Institute of Physics in 2003. He was awarded a Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) Advanced Research fellowship in 1987[citation needed] and an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Senior Research Fellowship in 1996.[citation needed] He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP).[8]
References
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