The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Asia-Pacific Theoretical Physics Center announced on the 19th that Christopher Jarzynski, a distinguished professor at the University of Maryland in the U.S., has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Lee Whi-soh Award.
Professor Jarzynski is an authority in ‘statistical physics,’ which statistically explains how heat and energy move. His 1997 ‘Jarzynski equality’ is acclaimed for overcoming the limitations of classical thermodynamics theory.
Traditional thermodynamic calculations were only accurate under slow, ideal conditions. The Jarzynski equality demonstrated that even rapid, irregular real-world changes could yield the same results by averaging multiple measurements.
Building on this principle, Jarzynski led research clarifying how energy flows in microscopic systems, such as single molecules or proteins within cells. This work laid the foundation for understanding nanomachines, biomolecules, and quantum systems, profoundly influencing modern statistical physics.
The award honors the late Dr. Lee Whi-soh, whose groundbreaking contributions advanced theoretical physics. It is Korea’s only academic award dedicated to his legacy. The Asia-Pacific Theoretical Physics Center has presented it annually since 2012 to promising scientists.
Professor Jarzynski will deliver a special lecture at POSTECH in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, on the 19th–20th. On the 21st, he will give a keynote speech titled ‘Extending the Laws of Thermodynamics to the Microscopic World’ at the Korean Physical Society’s autumn academic conference.
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