The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics appointed Kevin Costello to the William Rowan Hamilton chair in 2014, supported by a four million dollar investment from the Krembil Foundation. A specialist in mathematical physics, he maintains a research focus on perturbative quantum field theory and the application of topological and conformal field theories within modern mathematical frameworks.
Academic Background
Born in Cork, Ireland, in 1977, Costello completed his higher education at the University of Cambridge. He received his PhD in 2003, having conducted research on Gromov–Witten invariants under the supervision of Ian Grojnowski. His subsequent academic career included a tenure at Northwestern University before he moved to his current position in Ontario, Canada.
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Costello developed a mathematical formalism for the renormalization group flow theory originally proposed by Kenneth Wilson. His text, Renormalization and Effective Field Theory, published in 2022, proves the renormalizability of Yang–Mills theory. In collaboration with Owen Gwilliam, he authored a two-volume series titled Factorization Algebras in Quantum Field Theory, released in 2017 and 2021, which details the local structure of quantum observables using factorization algebras.
Professional Recognition
His research has earned international recognition from major mathematical societies. In 2017, the London Mathematical Society awarded him the Berwick Prize. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2018 and received the Leonard Eisenbud Prize for Mathematics and Physics in 2020. In 2022, he was granted the John L. Synge Award, and he holds membership in the Royal Irish Academy.
Fast facts
- Born: 1977, Cork, Ireland
- Education: University of Cambridge
- Field: Mathematical Physics
- Current Position: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
- Berwick Prize: 2017
- Fellow of the Royal Society: 2018
- Leonard Eisenbud Prize: 2020
- John L. Synge Award: 2022
Questions readers ask
What is Kevin Costello's primary area of study?
He focuses on the mathematical foundations of perturbative quantum field theory, including superstring theory and the application of topological field theories.
Where does Kevin Costello currently teach?
He holds the William Rowan Hamilton chair of theoretical physics at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada.
Achievements
- Berwick Prize — 2017
- Fellow of the Royal Society — 2018
- Leonard Eisenbud Prize for Mathematics and Physics — 2020
- Held posts at Northwestern University and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
- Fields: physics, mathematics and mathematical physics
