Nineteen eminent Canadian scientists, scholars and researchers have been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) for their outstanding achievements in advancing knowledge and understanding of the past and present, including Waterloo’s mathematical physicist Kevin Costello.
Costello is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and holds the Krembil Foundation William Rowan Hamilton Chair at Perimeter Institute since 2014. He was awarded the John L. Synge Award from the RSC for outstanding research in mathematical sciences.
Costello’s research explores topics including mathematical foundations of perturbative quantum field theory and the applications of topological and conformal field theories to other areas of mathematics.
His work in the mathematics of quantum field theory has unveiled new mathematical structures linking representation theory, geometry, and field theory. These ideas have deep connections to particle physics, condensed matter theory, and early-universe cosmology. His work has been recognized with the Berwick Prize of the London Mathematical Society in 2017 and the Eisenbud Prize of the American Mathematical Society in 2020.
“Kevin Costello is an exceptional young scientist with a talent for bridging the worlds of mathematics and physics to open new paths of discovery,” said Perimeter Institute Director Robert Myers.
Costello and the other award winners will be honoured during the Awards Ceremony on Friday, November 25, 2022, as part of the 2022 RSC Celebration of Excellence and Engagement.
Founded in 1882, the RSC comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences, and The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The RSC recognizes excellence, advises the government and the larger society, and promotes a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world.