Theory Colloquium: Electric-magnetic Duality and Space-time Structure

Short Biography

Claudio Bunster (until 2005 Claudio Teitelboim) is an outstanding theoretical physicist. He is well know for his important contributions to general relativity and gauge theories. He worked on many different aspects such as the problem of radiation reaction in classical electrodynamics the Hamiltonian structure of spacetime, the determination of the role of surface integrals as generators of asymptotic symmetries in general relativity and gauge theories, the understanding of the quantum numbers of a black hole and its thermodynamics, the theory of black holes in lower dimensions, the general theory of constrained systems and its quantization, the dynamic neutralization of the cosmological constant, and the generalization of the notion of electric-magnetic duality to extended objects and higher spins.

Educated at Universidad de Chile and Princeton University, Bunster has taught at Princeton, the University of Texas at Austin and Universidad de Chile and has been a long-term member at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. Since its foundation in 1984 Bunster has been the Director of the Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECs). Besides his work as Director and his research activity in theoretical physics, Bunster has been involved in public service. He served as Presidential Science Advisor in President Eduardo Frei’s administration (1994-2000). During his tenure as science advisor the Presidential Science Chairs and the Millennium Science Initiative were established. He was also a member of the Dialogue Board on Human Rights (Mesa de Diálogo sobre Derechos Humanos), established by the Government to address pending human rights problems, with the participation of civilians and the military.

Claudio Bunster received several awards, among them

* 1995: Natural Science Prize of Chile
* 2005: Elected Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
* 2007: Elected Honorary Member of the Solvay Institute
* 2011: Humboldt Award
* 2013: TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize