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​​​​​​​Heineman Prize Awarded to TSU Graduate Researcher

Professor Samson Shatashvili, a graduate of Tbilisi State University and a full member of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), was recently awarded the Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics. The prize is administered jointly by the American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics, and is awarded solely for valuable published contributions made in the field of mathematical physics (https://www.aps.org/funding-recognition/prize/dannie-heineman).

 

Samson Shatashvili graduated with honors from Tbilisi State University in 1981, having completed a specialization in Theoretical Physics. He subsequently enrolled in TSU’s postgraduate program in the same year. He was soon invited by Academician Ludvig Faddeev, a preeminent figure in the field of mathematical physics and a laureate of numerous international prizes, to join the Leningrad Department of Steklov Mathematical Institute. Within two years he had already defended his candidate’s thesis (at Leningrad University) and remained to work in the Faddeev group to continue his research. In 1989 he defended his doctoral thesis in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Subsequently, he assumed the role of professor in the United States, initially at the University of Chicago, then at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and finally at Yale University.

 

It is noteworthy that in 2014, Professor Samson Shatashvili was awarded the Ivane Javakhishvili Medal in recognition of his contribution to the internationalization of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (the popularization of the university’s scientific potential abroad, the promotion of scientific and research activities between universities, the development of the university's scientific and educational process, and the development of scientific and practical skills among young people).

 

Samson Shatashvili's research interests over the past four decades can be broken down into six main topics: quantum anomalies; coadjoint orbits of infinite-dimensional groups and representation theory; open string field theory; manifolds with exceptional holonomy; supersymmetric quantum field theory; and quantum integrable systems.

 

Samson Shatashvili MRIA is University Chair of Natural Philosophy (1847) at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and director of the Hamilton Mathematics Institute TCD.

 

It is noteworthy that the Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics has been bestowed upon a number of esteemed physicists, including Nobel Laureates Steven Weinberg, Gerard Hooft and Julian Dyson; as well as prominent figures such as Stephen Hawking, Nikolay Bogolubov, Ludvig Faddeev, Murray Gell-Mann, Yoichiro Nambu, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Alexander Polyakov, Edward Witten, Vladimir Arnold and others.

 

“The existence of Professor Samson Shatashvili, an internationally recognized scientist, is undoubtedly a source of pride for the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of TSU, particularly for physicists and mathematicians, for the entire university, for Georgia, and serves as an example for future generations. It is highly encouraging that Tbilisi State University has been and continues to be a source of education for such motivated young people who will undoubtedly become prominent scientists in the future. We believe that Mr. Shatashvili’s case is a clear illustration of the assertion that the education received in Georgia, specifically at Tbilisi State University, serves as the foundation for subsequent significant scientific achievements in physics, mathematics and other natural sciences! We wish Mr. Shatashvili fruitful scientific and pedagogical activities and many more successes in this most challenging field of science!” said Associate Professor Petre Babilua, Dean of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of TSU.

 

For an extensive interview with Samson Shatashvili, which was published by the Royal Irish Academy on October 17, 2024, please, visit https://www.ria.ie/blog/samson-shatashvili-mria-theoretical-and-mathematical-physicist/,

 

The material was prepared by Associate Professor Petre Babilua, Dean of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of TSU, and Assistant Professor Teimuraz Nadareishvili of the Physics Department of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences.