Mirjam Cvetič is a Slovenian-American

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

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, where she is Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics and of Mathematics. Cvetič has a background in basic theory,

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839� ...

and conducts research that bridges the gap between basic theory and experimental consequences on certain theories. Her research includes the applications of

string theory In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...

M-theory In physics, M-theory is a theory that unifies all Consistency, consistent versions of superstring theory. Edward Witten first conjectured the existence of such a theory at a string theory conference at the University of Southern California in 1 ...

black hole A black hole is a massive, compact astronomical object so dense that its gravity prevents anything from escaping, even light. Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will form a black hole. Th ...

behavior, and particle phenomenology. Also, she has published highly cited works on

supersymmetry Supersymmetry is a Theory, theoretical framework in physics that suggests the existence of a symmetry between Particle physics, particles with integer Spin (physics), spin (''bosons'') and particles with half-integer spin (''fermions''). It propo ...

, more than two hundred journal articles and is the editor of Physics Letter B.

Education and career

Cvetič earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana (, , ), abbreviated UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 38,000 enrolled students. The university has 23 faculties and three art academies with approximately 4,000 teaching and re ...

in 1979 and 1981, respectively. She completed her doctorate at the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

in 1984. Her dissertation, ''Origin of Mass Hierarchies in Gauge Theories'', was supervised by Jogesh Pati. After working as a researcher at the

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Menlo Park, California, Menlo Park, Ca ...

and the University of Pennsylvania, she joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 1989. She became Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professor in 1999, and Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Endowed Chair in 2003. As of 2020, she is the lead editor of

Physical Review D Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, clinical examination, or medical checkup, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a Disease, medical co ...

. She is also a member and co-PI of the Simons Collaboration on Special Holonomy in Geometry, Analysis, and Physics.

Recognition

Cvetič was named 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 fellows of the ...

in 2001, "for her work in a wide range of topics in supergravity and string theory, from non-perturbative gravitational effects such as black holes and domain walls to their phenomenological consequences".She won the University of Maryland Physics Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007. Cvetič was also awarded the Lindback Award and Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2012. The

Lindback Award The Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award is given out by the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation. History Christian Lindback was the president and owner of Abbotts Dairies. He was also a trustee of Bucknell University. His foundation e ...

is regarded as the University of Penn States highest teaching award. In addition, th
Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award
for Distinguished Teaching recognizes teaching that is intellectually challenging and exceptionally coherent and honors faculty who embody high standards of integrity and fairness, have a strong commitment to learning, and are open to new ideas. In 2019, the

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation () is a foundation that promotes international academic cooperation between scientists and scholars from Germany and abroad. Established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany, it is funded by t ...

gave her their Carl Friedrich von Siemens Research Award, funding her for a visit to the

Max Planck Institute for Physics The Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP) is a research institute located in Garching, near Munich, Germany. It specializes in high energy physics and astroparticle physics. The MPP is part of the Max Planck Society and is also known as the We ...

.She was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 2023.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cvetic, Mirjam Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Slovenian physicists Slovenian women physicists American physicists 21st-century women physicists University of Ljubljana alumni University of Maryland, College Park alumni University of Pennsylvania faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Aspen Center for Physics people

Education and career

Recognition

References

Further reading

External links