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The First Emirati to Become a Theoretical Physicist
Emirati physicist Ahmed Almheiri has won a prestigious scientific award for his study of black holes in space.
Almheiri and his research team were among the new scientists who received the $100,000 New Horizons Prize presented by The Breakthrough Prize Foundation, dubbed the “science Oscars.” The Breakthrough Prize Foundation is considered one of the most significant scientific awards in the world. Every year, the New Horizons in Physics Prize, which was founded by Yuri Milner, a science and technology investor and philanthropist, is awarded to researchers who have produced important work in science. It has awarded more than $250 million to 3,000 scientists since its inception in 2012.
Al Muhairi is currently doing his postdoctoral studies in physics at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) at Princeton University. The institute was established in 1930 with esteemed physicist Albert Einstein as one of its first professors.
Almheiri, who is also a long-term member of the School of Natural Sciences, coauthored a paper in 2012 that confounded theoretical physicists, garnered attention from The New York Times and Scientific American, and prompted the organization of various workshops and the publication of dozens of papers around the world.
The paper, “Black Holes: Complementarity or Firewalls?” gives an explanation of Stephen Hawking’s black hole information paradox of 1974, which showed that black holes radiate particles, known as Hawking radiation, as they shrink in size and eventually evaporate completely.
Almheiri was born and raised in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He is the second youngest of a large brood of three brothers and nine sisters. His mother never received a formal education; however, his father, who had earned a degree, became one of the founders of the UAE Red Crescent and its first chairman of the board of directors. His father is now retired and tends to the family farm.
In a biography published by the IAS, Almheiri is recognized as the first Emirati to become a theoretical physicist and member of the prestigious institute.
