Charles L. Kane Wins the Dirac Medal

Professor of Physics Charles L. Kane is a recipient of the 2012 Dirac Medal and Prize by the Abdus Salem International Centre for Theoretical Physics, given annually to scientists who have made significant contributions to theoretical physics. Though not awarded to Nobel Laureates, Fields Medalists, or Wolf Foundation Prize winners, many winners of the Dirac Medal continue on to receive these esteemed prizes. Kane is the first Penn professor to receive this award.

Kane is being recognized for his contributions to condensed-matter physics, including advancing the understanding of the strange conductive qualities of topological insulators. His expertise lies in fields of mesoscopic physics, or the study of semiconductor nanostructures. Kane also focuses on the theory of quantum electronic phenomena in solids.

Earlier this summer, Kane received a five-year, $500,000 grant from the Simons Foundation. Likened to the MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius Grants,” the monetary prize comes with no parameters dictating its use; rather, it is intended to enable the recipient to pursue long-term studies of fundamental questions in theoretical fields.

Also in 2012, Kane won the Oliver Buckley Prize, which is awarded for outstanding theoretical or experimental contributions to condensed matter physics. He received the Condensed Matter Europhysics Prize in 2010, has been a fellow of the American Physical Society since 2006 and was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow between 1985 and 1988. He joined Penn’s faculty in 1991.