The Leinweber Foundation has now committed more than $165 million to fundamental science research across nine U.S. institutions in establishing the Leinweber network, one of the largest private commitments ever made to theoretical physics. The gift will support the research of faculty, graduate students and postdocs as well as collaboration with other institutions through conferences, workshops, visiting scholars and a network-wide convening every two years. 

“Princeton has a long and distinguished tradition of foundational research in theoretical physics, and the Leinweber Foundation’s generous gift will support this work on our campus while also enabling deeper collaboration with our peer institutions,” said Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber ‘83. “Larry Leinweber’s visionary philanthropy is having a real impact in advancing discovery in this important field.” 

Princeton joins a collaborative network of the nation’s top physics research institutions that have also received Leinweber Foundation gifts, including the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the Institute for Advanced Study, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan. 

“With the addition of Princeton University to the Leinweber network, we have created and continue to expand a critical mass of theoretical physicists from the country’s most prestigious programs. We believe the Leinweber network will not only strengthen U.S. leadership in basic science, but also inspire curiosity, creativity and groundbreaking discoveries for generations to come,” said Larry D. Leinweber, founder and president of the Leinweber Foundation. 

The Leinweber Forum for Theoretical Physics at Princeton will be an interdisciplinary hub, drawing researchers from the departments of physics, astrophysical sciences and mathematics as well as scholars across the University. 

Eliot Quataert, professor of astrophysics and the Charles A. Young Professor of Astrophysical Sciences, will serve as the inaugural director of the Leinweber Forum at Princeton. Quataert is an astrophysics theorist whose research focuses on black holes, plasma astrophysics and the formation of galaxies. 

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead Princeton’s contributions as part of the Leinweber Forum for Theoretical Physics, alongside my colleagues who work at Princeton and at the other distinguished member universities who are part of this vital network,” said Quataert. “This support represents an inflection point for theoretical physics that will have enormous impact across multiple disciplines and institutions.” 

The scope of research of the Leinweber Forum for Theoretical Physics at Princeton will include fundamental aspects of theoretical physics. It will encompass high-energy and elementary particle physics, gravitational physics and cosmology, and the mathematics research underpinning these areas. 

“These research topics align beautifully with those of other members of the Leinweber network,” said Jim Olsen, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics and chair of the Department of Physics. “Princeton’s departments of physics, astrophysical sciences and mathematics have exceptional strengths in theoretical physics, and this extraordinary gift from the Leinweber Foundation catalyzes and provides momentum to build on these strengths while leveraging Princeton’s historical interdisciplinary excellence.”

Igor Rodnianski, professor in the Mathematics Department, is a mathematical physicist whose research interests include partial differential equations and general relativity. He noted the longstanding collaboration among Princeton’s theoreticians and the importance of continuing to invest in that work. “When you see what mathematicians and physicists have accomplished together at Princeton over the last century, you begin to understand how critical it is to invest in this work — and to work across departmental and institutional boundaries,” he said. 

Princeton’s history includes 21 Nobel Prizes in physics awarded to Princeton faculty and alumni from 1927 to the present. Princeton faculty and alumni have been at the forefront of many of the key areas of theoretical physics, including quantum mechanics, general relativity, elementary particle physics, cosmology, quantum field theory and mathematical physics, all topics that will be pursued at the Leinweber Forum for Theoretical Physics. 

Eugene Wigner, who was awarded the 1963 Nobel Prize in physics, did pioneering theoretical research in quantum mechanics and mathematical physics. John Archibald Wheeler, who created a group in general relativity at Princeton University, coined the terms “black hole” and “geometrodynamics.” Richard Feynman, who was Wheeler’s Ph.D. student at Princeton, later invented the ubiquitous Feynman diagrams and was awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics for his fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics. Princeton’s prominence in theoretical physics influenced Einstein’s decision to join the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), which was initially located on the campus of Princeton University. This led to his long friendship with the University. 

The IAS, located in the town of Princeton, New Jersey, is also a member institution of the Leinweber network and is one of the world’s leading independent centers for curiosity-driven basic research. 

Over more recent decades, theoretical physicists, astrophysicists and mathematicians associated with Princeton University have made groundbreaking discoveries across areas of inquiry including quantum theory, elementary particle physics, gravitational wave astrophysics, and cosmology, among others. 

Princeton’s existing assets in theoretical science include, but are not limited to, the Princeton Center for Theoretical Science (PCTS), dedicated to exploring the frontiers of theory in the natural sciences and engineering; the astrophysics department, which is considered one of the top programs in the world in theoretical and computational astrophysics; and the mathematics department, which has a long history of groundbreaking work in mathematical physics and is a leading center worldwide for the mathematics of general relativity. 

Igor Klebanov is the director of PCTS and the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics. His research interests include quantum field theories and their dual descriptions involving generalizations of Einstein’s theory of gravity. 

“This gift could not be more timely and will amplify Princeton’s cross-disciplinary collaboration among researchers seeking to answer fundamental theoretical questions about the universe,” said Klebanov. “The Leinweber Forum will both enhance the work of the PCTS and bring additional momentum to faculty, students and postdocs working on these important questions.” 

The Leinweber Foundation, according to its mission statement, “strives to support the physics research ecosystem in the United States and encourage collaboration within the physics research community.” 

The Leinweber Foundation was founded by software entrepreneur Larry Leinweber, the founder and former CEO of New World Systems. A lifelong enthusiast of physics, Leinweber has long expressed interest in questions about the fundamental nature of the universe. 

Leinweber has described his philanthropic approach as focused on long-term investments in scientific infrastructure. His vision for a cross-institutional network echoes the spirit of the early 20th-century Solvay Conferences, where Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr and Marie Curie gathered to debate the field’s most foundational questions. 

“Princeton University exemplifies the spirit of curiosity-driven inquiry that lies at the heart of theoretical physics. Through these foundational gifts, our goal is to magnify the impact of every institution in the network — creating a collaborative environment across the country where discovery is accelerated through shared insight and intellectual exchange,” said Leinweber.