A $18.4 million commitment from the Leinweber Foundation to the University of Chicago will support the creation of a new institute for theoretical physics at UChicago. The transformative gift will strengthen the University’s historic leadership in fundamental science and connect its scientists to a nationwide network of Leinweber institutes that will accelerate research discovery and impact.
The Leinweber Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Chicago joins new institutes at the University of Michigan, the University of California, Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a new Forum for Theoretical and Quantum Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study—created through philanthropic support totaling $90 million. Like all partners in the network, UChicago’s institute will shape its own research agenda, rooted in its distinctive strengths, while co-hosting seminars, workshops and public lectures that will promote collaboration on some the field’s biggest mysteries—from quantum entanglement to the nature of dark matter.
“When philanthropists invest in fundamental research, they invest in society’s long-range capacity for discovery and innovation,” said President Paul Alivisatos. “By empowering theorists to pursue the hardest, most imaginative questions, gifts like this one lay the groundwork for tomorrow’s breakthroughs—from understanding the intricacies of quantum mechanics to the very nature of our universe.”
The Leinweber Foundation’s $18.4 million commitment will be combined with $4.6 million from UChicago to create a $23 million endowment to support the creation of a new institute for theoretical physics at UChicago. The gift builds upon UChicago’s groundbreaking work in theoretical physics—and the bold, creative spirit of UChicago scientific inquiry that has transformed our understanding of the universe. Nobel Prize-winning UChicago scientists have long pushed the frontiers of knowledge, including Enrico Fermi’s achievement of the first nuclear reaction, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar’s revelations about the structure of the universe, and Yoichiro Nambu’s research on the workings of the subatomic world. The new institute will deepen that tradition by supporting faculty research and the recruitment of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows through fully endowed fellowships.
The Leinweber Foundation is dedicated to supporting innovative and impactful research, expanding access to education for students from underserved and rural areas, and supporting the health and vitality of the community and beyond. The foundation’s latest commitments follow a 2017 gift that established a center for theoretical physics at the University of Michigan: the Leinweber Center for Theoretical Physics, which will also be elevated to a Leinweber Institute. By expanding that model, the foundation is creating a platform for discovery that will empower generations of scientists and underscore the importance of intellectual exchange and open curiosity as engines of scientific progress.
“This gift is a commitment to America’s scientific future,” said Larry Leinweber, founder and president of the Leinweber Foundation. “Theoretical physics may seem abstract to many, but it is the tip of the spear for innovation. It fuels our understanding of how the world works and opens the door to new technologies that can shape society for generations. I hope this investment not only strengthens U.S. leadership in basic science, but also inspires curiosity, creativity and groundbreaking discoveries for generations to come.”
Dam Thanh Son, University Professor in Physics, will serve as the inaugural director of UChicago’s Leinweber Institute. He will lead a group of theoretical physicists at UChicago who have cultivated an active and collaborative research environment investigating new types of symmetry, metamaterials, quantum field theory and string theory, quantum entanglement, hydrodynamics, and more.
"By endowing positions at both the graduate and postdoctoral levels, the Leinweber Institute for Theoretical Physics will serve as an enduring center for training the next generation of scientific leaders," said Son. "Through its stream of visiting scholars and vibrant program of workshops and conferences at the institute, UChicago will become an international nexus for advancing theoretical physics research, fostering the development and dissemination of cutting-edge and cross-disciplinary ideas. Taken together, these efforts will ensure a critical mass of intellectual activity—one which promises to advance the frontiers of humanity’s understanding of the natural world in perpetuity.”
The new institute also will be a hub for collaboration at UChicago, uniting theorists from the Enrico Fermi Institute and the James Franck Institute. The Kadanoff Center for Theoretical Physics will become part of the Leinweber Institute, supporting initiatives in emerging and cross-disciplinary areas at the boundaries of theoretical physics.