Stephen Hawking's successor as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics: Michael Green

At the beginning of the month, Stephen Hawking retired from the prestigious position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, after 30 years in the chair once occupied by Sir Isaac Newton. His could scarcely be a harder act to follow, and the person to take on that challenge has now been named.

The next Lucasian Professor is to be Michael Green, currently the John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Theoretical Physics at Cambridge. An email confirming the appointment was sent to members of the Cambridge physics and maths departments last night.

Professor Green is best known as a member of the "string quartet" -- the group of physicists who originally developed string theory. He's a worthy successor to Professor Hawking, and Eureka Zone sends its congratulations, together with a healthy quantum of good luck.

Comments

[Robert Helling]

In my mind, Michael Green is an excellent choice for the Lucassian chair with a large number of extremely important contributions to string theory.

I would like to point out, however, that the "string quartet" was a group of Princetoners (while Michael was at Caltech at the time) consisting of Gross, Harvey, Martinec, and Rohm of heterotic string fame.

[Jose Ildefonso]

Congratulations,professor Green!

[Phillip Himelstein]

Well deserved Professor Green. Looking forward to your next book.

[Barbara Scott]

You have a typo in your first paragraph:

His could scarcely been a harder act to follow,

should read

His could scarcely have been a .....