Leading Physicist Steven R. White to Speak at UGA Lecture Series

Steven R. White, a distinguished physicist and professor at the University of California, Irvine, is set to deliver the 2026 Chhabra-Landau Lecture at the University of Georgia on February 26, 2026. The lecture will take place at 14:55 in the Physics Building, room 202, and is open to the public at no charge. Following the event, attendees are invited to a light reception.

The lecture is organized by UGA’s Center for Simulational Physics and is part of the esteemed Provost’s Seminar Series. This series features prominent figures from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, showcasing significant advancements in scientific research. “I’m excited that Dr. White’s presentation is not only a part of the highly regarded Provost’s Seminar Series but also the Chhabra-Landau Lecture Series on computer simulations,” said Phillip Stancil, head of the department of physics and astronomy at UGA.

Steven R. White is renowned for his contributions to condensed matter physics, particularly in simulating quantum systems. His research focuses on entities such as atoms and electrons, whose behaviors adhere to quantum mechanics principles. White is credited with inventing the Density Matrix Renormalization Group, a groundbreaking method for simulating quantum systems across various physics and chemistry domains, as well as the first tensor network algorithm. His accolades include the prestigious Aneesur Rahman Prize in Computational Physics, awarded by the American Physical Society, and memberships in both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

White’s lecture, titled “Combining Monte Carlo and Tensor Networks to Beat the Quantum Exponential,” aims to introduce attendees to the basics of Monte Carlo simulations and tensor networks. He will also discuss two distinct problems where these approaches have been successfully integrated, leading to significant scientific advancements.

For further information regarding the lecture, interested parties may contact Phillip Stancil at the University of Georgia. This event promises to enhance the understanding of computational methods in physics, a field that continues to evolve rapidly.