Haim Sompolinsky, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and of Physics in Residence, has been awarded the 2026 Dirac Medal, one of the most prestigious international honors in theoretical physics.
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) recognized Sompolinsky and three others for their pioneering contributions to statistical mechanics and for extending its concepts and methods into fields including non-equilibrium systems, optimization, theoretical neuroscience, and artificial intelligence.
Sompolinsky has played a pioneering role in bringing ideas and methods from statistical physics to the study of the brain. His theoretical and computational research has helped illuminate how the dynamics of large networks of neurons give rise to functions including memory, learning, sensory processing, and cognition.
“It is especially meaningful to share this recognition with three distinguished colleagues whose work I have admired for many years,” Sompolinsky said. “I am also proud that the prize recognizes a broader intellectual journey: extending the ideas and methods of statistical physics beyond their traditional domain to nonequilibrium systems, biology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence and, in doing so, reshaping the landscape of these sciences.”
Established in 1985, the Dirac Medal honors physicist P.A.M. Dirac and recognizes major contributions to theoretical physics.
Read more about Sompolinsky and the award in FAS Current and the ICTP announcement.
