Robert H. Brandenberger (born 1956 in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

) is a Swiss-Canadian theoretical

cosmologist Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...

and a professor of physics at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Biography

Brandenberger completed his undergraduate degree at

ETH Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

, in Switzerland, and went on to receive his Ph.D. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He was a postdoctoral student under Stephen Hawking at the

DAMTP The Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge comprises the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics (DPMMS) and the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP). It is housed in the Centre for ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He also did postdoctoral work at the Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara. Professor Brandenberger joined the faculty of

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1987 and then in 2004, he joined McGill University where he is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) holder. He is also an affiliate member of the

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI, Perimeter, PITP) is an independent research centre in foundational theoretical physics located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1999. The institute's founding and major benefactor i ...

. Robert Brandenberger developed the theory of string gas cosmology, with colleague Cumrun Vafa. This theory is an alternative to

inflationary cosmology In physical cosmology, cosmic inflation, cosmological inflation, or just inflation, is a theory of exponential expansion of the universe, expansion of space in the early universe. The inflationary epoch lasted from seconds after the conje ...

Honors and awards

He has won numerous awards for his work, including the

Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship The Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This program is one of the oldest of its kind in the United States. ...

in 1988, the Outstanding Junior Researcher award from the Department of Energy in 1988, the Killam Research Fellowship in 2009 and the

CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics The CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics is an annual prize awarded by the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) and Centre de Recherches Mathématiques (CRM) to recognize research excellence in the fields of theoretical physics ...

in 2011. He was elected a

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 American Physic ...

in 2001

References

External links

Oral history interview transcript for Robert Brandenberger on 22 April 2021, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brandenberger, Robert 1954 births Living people ETH Zurich alumni Swiss physicists Academic staff of McGill University Harvard University alumni American string theorists Fellows of the American Physical Society