Suffolk Reporter

Bradley Dirks, James H. Simons Instructor in the Department of Mathematics, and Yichul Choi, PhD student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, have been awarded fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). Dirks will complete his fellowship in the School of Mathematics for the 2024-2025 academic year, while Choi will be part of the School of Natural Sciences from 2024 to 2027.

This membership allows for focused research and an open exchange of ideas among an international community of scholars at one of the leading centers for intellectual inquiry.

During his stay, Bradley Dirks will work on studying singularities in geometry. His research aims to quantify “how singular” a geometric space is. He hopes that spaces that are "not too singular" will share many properties with smooth spaces. “It is an amazing honor to spend a year at the Institute for Advanced Study,” said Bradley. “A large proportion of the mathematics that I study was developed by past and permanent members of the Institute. I am especially excited because I will have the opportunity to meet many scholars from various universities and fields of study.”

Scott Sutherland, professor and chair in Stony Brook’s Department of Mathematics, commented on Dirks' achievement: “Brad Dirks has been doing great work as part of our algebraic geometry group, and the math department has been very fortunate to have him among us for the past year. This fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study is a well-deserved opportunity, and the Department looks forward to him rejoining us to continue his Simons instructorship afterwards.”

Yichul Choi's research during his fellowship will focus on topological and global aspects of quantum field theory, particularly symmetries, anomalies, and their generalizations. He aims to apply new generalized symmetry principles to particle physics phenomenology and condensed matter physics. “The Institute provides an ideal environment for scholars to explore ideas, focus on their research, and collaborate with world-experts coming from all over the globe,” said Yichul. “I am excited to use this opportunity to deeply investigate the physical rules behind our Nature, and to seek new understandings. I am also looking forward to sharing thoughts with leading scientists in the field.”

Chang Kee Jung, distinguished professor and chair of Stony Brook’s Department of Physics and Astronomy expressed pride in Choi's accomplishment: “I am delighted to learn that Yichul was awarded this prestigious fellowship,” he said. Jung noted that last spring Choi won Stony Brook President’s Award to Distinguished Doctoral Students for his work on Generalized Symmetries in Quantum Field Theory and Particle Physics.

Each year IAS welcomes more than 250 post-doctoral researchers and distinguished scholars from around the world as part of its interdisciplinary environment. Visiting scholars are selected through a competitive process based on their bold ideas by IAS Faculty—leaders in their fields such as Albert Einstein, John von Neumann, Hetty Goldman among others.

Established in 1930 in Princeton NJ., IAS conducts research across four Schools — Historical Studies; Mathematics; Natural Sciences; Social Science — aiming to push human knowledge boundaries.

Past IAS scholars include Nobel Laureates Fields Medalists Abel Prize Laureates MacArthur Guggenheim fellows Turing Award winners Wolf Holberg Kluge Pulitzer Prizes recipients.