- The organization selected Prof. Christopher Jarzynski, a leading statistical physicist, as this year’s recipient and provides opportunities for Korean researchers to engage with him. 

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister: Bae Kyung-hoon) and the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (APCTP, President: Misao Sasaki) announced that they have selected Prof. Christopher Jarzynski* as the recipient of the 2026 Benjamin W. Lee Professorship.

* Christopher Jarzynski (60): A Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland and a world-renowned physicist in statistical physics and nonequilibrium thermodynamics. 

In 2019, he won the Lars Onsager Prize, often described as the Nobel Prize of statistical physics, for deriving the “Jarzynski equality,” which shows that free-energy differences can be calculated in nonequilibrium states and revolutionized the field of statistical mechanics.

The Benjamin W. Lee Professorship was jointly established in 2012 by APCTP and the Korean Physical Society (KPS) to honor the achievements of the late Dr. Benjamin Whisoh Lee*, a world-renowned theoretical physicist representing Korea. The prize has become an internationally prestigious academic award, with an award ceremony and keynote lecture held every year at the KPS autumn conference (October 21-23, International Convention Center Jeju).

* The late Dr. Benjamin Whisoh Lee (1935-1977): A world-renowned theoretical particle physicist dubbed the “Korean Oppenheimer.” 

His work on the renormalization of gauge theories and the charm particle contributed to the research that led to 10 scientists receiving Nobel Prizes. Of his more than 140 papers, about 60 alone have been cited over 13,000 times. With his unparalleled achievements, he became a leading figure in the global theoretical physics community.

Prof. Jarzynski, the 2026 recipient, devised the “Jarzynski equality,” which shows that free-energy differences can be calculated even in nonequilibrium processes, laying a theoretical foundation for thermodynamics. He was also highly recognized for his research on the fluctuation theorem and stochastic thermodynamics, which has revealed microscopic thermodynamic properties across nanoscale, biological and quantum systems and has had a profound impact on modern statistical physics.

APCTP invites Prof. Jarzynski to POSTECH in Pohang on October 19 and 20 for special lectures on nonequilibrium statistical physics. On October 19, he examines the principles of generative AI from the perspective of nonequilibrium statistical physics and introduces ways to apply them to free energy estimation in a lecture titled “Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics, Generative AI, and Free Energy Estimation.”

* Details are available on the APCTP website (http://apctp.org) and via Zoom link (https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/wbLHF8hzSqy-hWSs2EE5mQ).

Prof. Jarzynski then delivers a keynote lecture titled “Scaling Down the Laws of Thermodynamics” at the KPS autumn conference on October 21. The event will serve as a venue where participants can exchange insights on the latest research trends with a leading authority who proposed a new paradigm in statistical mechanics, and is expected to broaden the research horizons of Korea’s physics community.

Marking APCTP’s 30th anniversary this year, President Sasaki said, “APCTP will continue to strengthen the network connecting world-renowned scholars and Korean researchers and further solidify its role as a global hub.”

Yoon Kyung-sook, Director General of the R&D Policy Bureau at MSIT, said, “We expect this event, built on the great legacy of the late Dr. Benjamin Whisoh Lee, to inspire the intellectual curiosity of young scientists who will shape the future of Korea’s basic science and to offer them a new vision for research.”

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Please refer to the attached PDF.