Professor David Matthew Ceperley is a distinguished theoretical physicist and leading authority in computational quantum mechanics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He currently holds the prestigious titles of Founder Professor of Engineering and Center for Advanced Studies Professor, building upon his foundational appointment as a faculty member in 1987 after distinguished service at Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. Ceperley earned his BS in physics from the University of Michigan in 1971 and completed his PhD in physics at Cornell University in 1976, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Paris and Rutgers University. His career trajectory from national laboratory scientist to academic leader has established him as a pivotal figure bridging computational science and fundamental physics research.
Ceperley's groundbreaking contributions to quantum Monte Carlo methods have revolutionized the simulation of quantum many-body systems, providing exact computational approaches where traditional methods fail. His seminal work with Berni Alder on the equation of state of the three-dimensional electron gas, published in one of the most cited Physical Review Letters articles, has become fundamental input data for density functional theory applications across computational physics and chemistry. The Tanatar-Ceperley exchange-correlation functional for two-dimensional electron systems remains a cornerstone in condensed matter simulations, while his research on metalization of hydrogen at high pressure has advanced our understanding of planetary interiors and extreme state physics. These methodological innovations have enabled precise quantitative studies of superfluidity, quantum phase transitions, and electronic structure in challenging materials systems.
As a staff scientist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications from 1987 to 2012, Ceperley helped establish high-performance computing as an essential pillar of modern theoretical physics. His election to the National Academy of Sciences in 2005 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1999 recognizes his transformative impact on computational physics, further validated by the prestigious Rahman Prize and Berni J. Alder CECAM Prize. Ceperley continues to mentor the next generation of computational physicists through his teaching of advanced courses on atomic-scale simulations while extending quantum Monte Carlo methods to increasingly complex materials challenges. His ongoing research maintains the rigorous theoretical foundation that has defined his career, ensuring continued influence on both fundamental quantum mechanics and practical materials science applications.
