Dr. Curtis Callan

Biography

Curtis Callan is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Physics at Princeton University. He received a B.A. from Haverford College in 1961 and a Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University in 1964. He has held numerous prestigious positions prior to his appointment at Princeton, including Assistant Professor at Harvard University and Visiting Professor at the University of Paris and the California Institute of Technology. His research interests primarily lie in the areas of quantum field theory, string theory, and dissipative quantum mechanics, particularly in relation to quantum fracture materials. Over the years, his interests have expanded to include theoretical problems in cellular biology, where he has focused on the design and analysis of novel experiments aimed at answering unconventional and theoretically motivated questions in biology. Callan has received several notable awards, including the Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics from the American Physical Society in 2000 and the Dirac Medal from the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics in 2004. Additionally, he has been elected a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the American Physical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Research Interests