Dr. John Perdew is a distinguished theoretical physicist renowned for his transformative contributions to condensed matter physics and quantum chemistry. He currently serves as Professor of Physics at Tulane University, where he returned in 2023 after previously teaching there from 1977 to 2013. Born in Cumberland, Maryland on August 30, 1943, Perdew demonstrated exceptional aptitude in mathematics during his high school years, which earned him a National Merit Scholarship. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Physics Summa cum laude from Gettysburg College in 1965 before pursuing doctoral studies at Cornell University, where he completed his Ph.D. in Physics in 1971 under the supervision of John W. Wilkins.
Dr. Perdew's groundbreaking work on density functional theory has revolutionized computational approaches in quantum chemistry and materials science. His development of the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) in the mid-1980s, particularly the 1985 real-space cutoff of the gradient expansion for the exchange hole, corrected fundamental limitations of previous approximations. This seminal contribution has become one of the most widely used methods for predicting physical properties of atoms, molecules, fluids, and solids through computational approaches. His research has earned him recognition as one of the world's most cited physicists, with over 62,000 citations across his publications, fundamentally transforming how scientists model quantum mechanical systems.
Beyond his research achievements, Dr. Perdew has made significant contributions to academic leadership, serving as Department Chair at Tulane University during two separate periods (1991-1994 and 2001-2003). He has mentored nine Ph.D. students to completion and supervised 11 postdoctoral fellows throughout his distinguished career, shaping the next generation of theoretical physicists. In recognition of his exceptional contributions, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2011 and received the Materials Theory Award from the Materials Research Society in 2012. Dr. Perdew continues to advance the frontiers of density functional theory at Tulane University, where his ongoing research promises to further refine computational methods for materials discovery and quantum simulation.
