Elliot Lieb wins American Physical Society’s highest honor, and mathematics’ Gauss Prize

By Liz Fuller-Wright

Elliott Lieb
Elliott Lieb, Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics, Emeritus, and professor of mathematical physics, emeritus. PHOTO BY DENISE APPLEWHITE

Elliott Lieb, Princeton’s Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics, Emeritus, and professor of mathematical physics, emeritus, received the 2022 American Physical Society (APS) Medal for Exceptional Achievement in Research for “major contributions to theoretical physics through obtaining exact solutions to important physical problems, which have impacted condensed matter physics, quantum information, statistical mechanics and atomic physics.”

Awarded annually, the medal is the highest honor the APS bestows upon researchers across all of physics, recognizing contributions of the highest level that advance our knowledge and understanding of the physical universe in all its facets.

Lieb also received the 2022 Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize, named for the German mathematician and physicist and awarded jointly by the German Mathematical Union, which recognizes outstanding mathematical contributions that have found significant applications outside the field. Lieb was honored for contributions to physics, chemistry and pure mathematics.

“His profound and lasting influence has changed and in some cases redefined multiple branches of mathematical physics, including quantum mechanics, statistical physics, computational chemistry and others,” said Igor Rodnianski, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics.