João Magueijo (born 1967) is a Portuguese cosmologist and professor in

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict List of natural phenomena, natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental p ...

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

. He is a pioneer of the varying speed of light (VSL) theory.

Education and career

João Magueijo studied physics at the

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

. He undertook graduate work and Ph.D. at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. He was awarded a research fellowship at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

. He has been a faculty member at Princeton and Cambridge and is currently a professor at

where he teaches undergraduates

General Relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, and as Einstein's theory of gravity, is the differential geometry, geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of grav ...

and postgraduates Advanced General Relativity. In 1998, Magueijo teamed with Andreas Albrecht to work on the varying speed of light (VSL) theory of

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

, which proposes that the speed of light was up to in the early universe. This would explain the horizon problem (since distant regions of the expanding universe would have had time to interact and homogenize their properties) and is presented as an alternative to the more mainstream theory of cosmic inflation. Magueijo discusses his personal struggles pursuing VSL in his 2003 book, ''Faster Than The Speed of Light, The Story of a Scientific Speculation''. He was associated with a misunderstanding over priority concerning VSL with John Moffat. He was also the host of the Science Channel special ''João Magueijo's Big Bang'', which premiered on 13 May 2008. In 2009, he published ''A Brilliant Darkness'', an account of the life and science of vanished physicist Ettore Majorana. In 2014, he published ''Bifes Mal Passados'', describing his observations on the United Kingdom. In this book, Magueijo described British culture as one of the "most rotten societies in the world", and wrote that "When you visit English homes, or the toilets at schools or in student lodgings, they are all so disgusting that even my grandmother's poultry cage is cleaner". British people were described as "unrestrained wild beasts". The book was only published in Portugal, where it sold 20,000 copies. João Magueijo has been interviewed by

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

in season 2 of ''

Through the Wormhole ''Through the Wormhole'' is an American science Documentary film, documentary television series narrated and hosted by American actor Morgan Freeman. It began airing on Science Channel in the United States on June 9, 2010. The series concluded i ...

''.

Books

* ''Bifes Mal Passados: Passeios e outras catástrofes por terras de Sua Majestade'', Gradiva, 2014, * ''A Brilliant Darkness: The Extraordinary Life and Disappearance of Ettore Majorana, the Troubled Genius of the Nuclear Age'', Basic Books, 2009/2010, * ''Faster than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation'', Basic Books, 2003,

References

* * * )

External links

''João Magueijo's Big Bang'' on the Science Channel

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magueijo, Joao Cosmologists Portuguese cosmologists 21st-century science writers 1967 births Living people Academics of Imperial College London 20th-century astronomers Princeton University faculty People from Évora University of Lisbon alumni Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge

Education and career

See also

Books

References

External links