Gerard 't Hooft
Dutch theoretical physicist
About
Why is this person notable and influential?Gerard’t Hooft is a Dutch theoretical physicist and currently Professor of Physics at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Hooft showed mathematical prowess early in his life, earning a silver medal in the second Dutch Math Olympiad. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and his Ph.D. in Physics from Utrecht, working on elementary particles in theoretical physics.
Hooft’s work focuses on black holes, quantum gravity, and other fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics. He has done important work on holographic theory, for instance, a view inspired by string theory and thought to be a component of a theory of quantum gravity. Hooft became the editor-in-chief of Foundations for Physics in 2007. He won the Wolf Prize in 1981 and in 1999 Hooft shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with his thesis advisor Veltman for work on the electroweak interactions in physics.
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