From the big bang theory to the inflationary universe and the brane world scenario, IAS Director Prof Henry Tye explains the universe has a beginning and yet it might only be a tiny observable speck of a much bigger multiverse.
Professor Henry Tye is a theoretical physicist. He grew up in Hong Kong, received his BS from California Institute of Technology in 1970 and PhD in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974. Upon graduation, Professor Tye spent the early years of his career in leading research groups at SLAC, Stanford University and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Since 1978, he has been at Cornell University, where he is Horace White Professor of Physics. He took office as Director of the Institute for Advanced Study of HKUST in January 2011.
Professor Tye's primary research interest is in elementary particle theory, including topics such as high energy phenomena, interface between particle physics and cosmology and superstring theory. He is known for his contribution to the inflationary universe scenario, which is generally accepted as the way our universe began. His primary accomplishment in recent years has been on the "brane world" scenario, a new description of the universe that emerges naturally in the superstring theory, and how the inflationary universe scenario happens there.
Professor Tye served as Chair of the National Advisory Board of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics China in Beijing since its establishment in 2007, and is a Member of the International Advisory Committee for the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
