New Directors Appointed to Burke Institute and Leinweber Forum

Caltech has appointed new leadership to the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Leinweber Forum for Theoretical Physics.

Xie Chen, the Eddleman Professor of Theoretical Physics, has become the director of the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics after its former director, Hirosi Ooguri, the Fred Kavli Professor of Theoretical Physics and Mathematics, moved into a new position as the Kent and Joyce Kresa Leadership Chair of the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy.

The Burke Institute was founded in 2014 at Caltech through a transformative investment from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation with matching funds from the Gordon and Betty Moore Matching Program. The institute supports three-year postdoctoral fellowships in theoretical physics. They are selected by a faculty committee representing all areas of theoretical physics and astrophysics at Caltech and have freedom in choosing their research direction. Ninety-five percent of more than 120 former Burke Institute fellows now hold distinguished academic positions.

Chen studies strongly correlated condensed-matter systems and has been part of the Burke Institute since she came to Caltech in 2014. "As a junior faculty member, I greatly benefited from the stimulating intellectual environment fostered by Burke," Chen says. "My research gained new depth and breadth through in-depth discussions—and even through spontaneous conversations—with members of the institute."

"The Burke Institute's central mission is to support people," Chen says. "In theoretical physics, brilliant minds are the most valuable resource. The Burke Fellowship allows us to attract the strongest postdoctoral candidates to Caltech. These fellows invigorate our community with creativity and energy, bringing fresh perspectives, bridging different fields, and sparking new collaborations. As director, I am committed to ensuring that the Burke Institute continues to provide intellectual freedom to the theoretical physics community at Caltech."

Professor of Theoretical Physics Clifford Cheung will be leading the new Leinweber Forum for Theoretical Physics, funded by a large gift from the Leinweber Foundation, as its founding director. By leveraging and complementing the Burke Institute, the Leinweber Forum will support faculty, students, and postdoctoral scholars who work in theoretical physics at Caltech, but it also builds on collaborations across a network of Leinweber institutes and forums nationwide at institutions including UC Berkeley, the University of Chicago, Stanford, MIT, the Institute for Advanced Study, and the University of Michigan.

Cheung's research lies at the interface of particle theory and quantum gravity. "At a personal level, my own work has been enriched immensely by cross-disciplinary connections across fields, spanning everything from supercolliders to the big bang to gravitational-wave physics," Cheung says. "I believe that the Leinweber Forum offers an extraordinary new opportunity to strengthen those bonds, both within Caltech and cross-institutionally. As inaugural director, I am honored to be responsible for shaping and launching its first initiatives. My goal is to apply our resources wisely and creatively to support a range of appointments and programs that will bolster Caltech's long track record of excellence in theoretical physics, giving researchers the time and resources needed to pursue their most ambitious ideas."

Chen and Cheung will be collaborating with each other in their new roles. "I look forward to working with Cliff to strengthen our support system—expanding opportunities for graduate students, creating additional prestigious postdoctoral positions, and responding more effectively to the evolving needs of our community," Chen says.