About the Speaker
Sylvester James Gates Jr. was appointed Ford Foundation Professor of Physics at Brown University in 2017. He also holds an appointment in the Department of Mathematics.

Gates first joined the Brown community in fall 2016, as an inaugural Provost Visiting Professor. Earlier, he was Distinguished University Professor, University Regents Professor, John H. Toll Professor of Physics, and Director of the Center for Particle and String Theory at the University of Maryland.

Gates received the 2011 National Medal of Science and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He is a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society.

He served on the Maryland State Board of Education and was a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). As a PCAST member, he was co-chair of the council's working group on STEM preeminence for the nation. He co-authored a report to the President: ”Prepare and Inspire K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for America’s Future.”

About Frontiers in Science Lectures
Lectures in this series are intended to inform, engage, and inspire students, faculty, staff, and the public on developments, breakthroughs, and topics of general interest in the sciences and mathematics. Lecturers tailor their talks for nonexpert audiences.

Gates's lecture is made possible by a collaboration between the College of Computing, the College of Sciences, and the School of Physics.