Newswise — Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist and cosmologist whose research is so broad that it covers science from the beginning of the universe to the end of the universe, will join Arizona State University in August to assume a leadership role in an emerging research and educational initiative on "origins."
"Lawrence Krauss has been at the forefront of trying to unify particle physics and cosmology; of trying to use the universe itself as a laboratory to understand fundamental interactions, fundamental science and fundamental physics," says ASU President Michael Crow. "His ability to address fundamental questions of life, of origins " Where did we come from? Why are we here? " and to seek an understanding of the long-term sustainability of life on Earth, will facilitate this new research and educational initiative at Arizona State University."
Krauss will join ASU's faculty as professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He will come to ASU after 15 years at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, 12 as chair of the physics department. Previously, Krauss was a member of the physics and astronomy departments at Yale University.
"What attracted me to ASU was not only the entrepreneurial spirit and wonderful new colleagues, but also the opportunity to build on existing novel interdisciplinary programs to create a broad new structure that looks at exciting open issues of origins, ranging from the origins of the universe to the galaxy and solar system and onward to human origins, to origins of consciousness and culture. We will look for new symbiotic relationships, build excitement across disciplines, and help convey the wonder of discovery to the public," says Krauss.
"Arizona State University has a long tradition of studying the origins of human beings; we have great strengths in applied, use-inspired research, in the Biodesign Institute and across our colleges and schools," says Crow. "We also have tremendous interest in fundamental research, and Dr. Krauss will help define for ASU a major, comprehensive initiative, to answer the complex questions of our time.
"It's foolish for us to believe that all origins have already happened. On the eve of a set of very rapid changes in our world, the only kind of origins we can observe, can truly document, are the origins of the future," says Crow. "ASU aims to be a global leader in this area. This new, far-reaching initiative will help us build strong links with many of our existing research centers, including the Institute of Human Origins and the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science."
"Human beings have always been interested in the origins around them, whether of the universe, or of Earth," says Professor Sander van der Leeuw, director of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. "Arizona State University has achieved an international reputation in human origins, with our Institute of Human Origins and our published research on the origins of modern humans and the origins of human uniqueness. While we already are addressing many questions of origins, there is a lot of space for a broader origins initiative at ASU, to address the origins story in a wider sense."
Krauss also envisions "a kind of unifying structure that would sponsor visitors and research workshops as well, and, therefore, enhance the research at the institution, making it an international magnet for talent, as well as provide an international outreach center to enhance public understanding of origins issues."
To jump start the origins initiative at ASU, Krauss is organizing an origins symposium for April 5-7, 2009, with Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, Craig Venter, and at least five Nobel laureates in different areas, including Frank Wilczek.
"This sort of symposium will help raise the intellectual energy in the region," Krauss says. He plans to bring 100-150 "of the best people in the different areas, and have sessions on forefront puzzles, outstanding mysteries in each of these areas; and some of the most active young people as well as senior people, so key discoveries will likely be unveiled."
In addition to the working symposium, "we'll have a public symposium, which will, I think, be at a level that is probably unheard of in the world in terms of the quality and public profile of the speakers," Krauss says.
He envisions other outreach efforts, including a workshop for science writers and journalists to interface with well-known scientists to talk about key origins issues "so that the journalists can better report on topics including evolution."
Krauss is the author of more than 250 scientific papers, usually working on several simultaneously.
"Right now, I'm looking at things as esoteric as gravitational waves from the very earliest moments of the big bang and concerns about whether our universe may be unstable; and trying to understand what probably is the biggest puzzle in science, and certainly in physics right now, something called dark energy," says Krauss.
Scientific American has described Krauss as a public intellectual. In addition to writing the best-seller, "The Physics of Star Trek," which has been translated into 13 languages, Krauss has written six other books, including "Fear of Physics," "The Fifth Essence," "Quintessence," "Beyond Star Trek" , "Hiding in the Mirror," and the science epic "Atom: An Odyssey from the Big Bang to Life on Earth ... and Beyond."
"Krauss has the rare ability to grasp the key foundational concepts across a range of sciences, and to explain them in an attractive and comprehensible way. His world-famous book 'The Physics of Star Trek' well captures the fun-loving, daring and out-of-the box thinking of this renowned scientist," says Professor Paul Davies, a theoretical physicist, cosmologist and director of ASU's Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science.
Krauss was born in New York city and grew up in Toronto. He received undergraduate degrees in mathematics and physics from Carleton University in Ottawa, and a doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Krauss is the recipient of numerous international awards for his research accomplishments and his writing, and is the only physicist to have received the highest awards of the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the American Institute of Physics. Krauss is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
He also is a scientist with a flair for the arts and popular culture. Krauss has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, narrating Gustav Holst's "The Planets." He also was nominated for a Grammy award for his liner notes for a Telarc CD of music from "Star Trek." In 2005, he served as a jury member at the Sundance Film Festival.
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