Robert Wald is a preeminent theoretical physicist whose profound contributions have revolutionized our understanding of gravitation and spacetime phenomena. He currently serves as the Charles H. Swift Distinguished Service Professor of Physics at the University of Chicago, with additional appointments in the Enrico Fermi Institute and the College. Born in New York City on June 29, 1947, Wald completed his undergraduate education at Columbia University in 1968 before earning his PhD in Physics from Princeton University in 1972 under the supervision of John Archibald Wheeler. His early career included a research associate position at the University of Maryland from 1972 to 1974, after which he joined the University of Chicago faculty, where he has remained throughout his distinguished career.
Wald's most significant contributions include the discovery of the general formula for black hole entropy and his rigorous formulation of quantum field theory in curved spacetime, work for which he received the Einstein Prize in 2017. His research has illuminated deep connections between the laws of black hole physics and thermodynamics, revealing that black holes radiate as perfect black bodies due to quantum particle creation effects. Wald's influential 1984 textbook "General Relativity" established a modern mathematical framework for the field and has become the definitive reference for graduate students and researchers worldwide. His more recent work on gravitational self-force and the effects of small scale inhomogeneities in cosmology continues to advance the mathematical foundations of gravitational physics.
As a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 2001 and recipient of the prestigious Dirac Medal in 2025, Wald's impact extends far beyond his direct research contributions. He has mentored generations of theoretical physicists and played a pivotal role in establishing the University of Chicago as a global center for gravitational physics research. Wald's current participation in the LIGO group demonstrates his ongoing engagement with experimental developments in gravitational wave astronomy following the first detection in 2015. His enduring scholarly work continues to provide crucial insights toward the formulation of a fully quantum theory of gravity, maintaining his position at the forefront of theoretical physics research well into the twenty-first century.
