UC Santa Barbara physicist Gary Horowitz honored for landmark advancements in gravity and string theory.
Gary Horowitz, a distinguished professor of physics at UC Santa Barbara, has been awarded the 2025 Dirac Medal by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), a prestigious honor recognizing his groundbreaking work in gravitational physics and string theory.
Named for Nobel laureate Paul Dirac, the Dirac Medal is awarded annually on Aug. 8, Dirac’s birthday, to scientists who have made “significant contributions to theoretical physics.” Horowitz shares the 2025 prize with physicists Gary Gibbons, Roy Kerr and Robert Wald.
“We are incredibly proud of Professor Horowitz’s many achievements, including his well-deserved recognition with the 2025 Dirac Medal,” said Shelly Gable, dean of the Division of Mathematical, Life and Physical Sciences and the Susan and Bruce Worster Dean of Science. “His work embodies the depth of intellectual curiosity and ambition that characterize our scientific community at UC Santa Barbara, and we are fortunate to count him among our faculty."
“It is a great honor for me to receive this international award,” Horowitz said. “I have been fascinated with black holes for most of my career, and am pleased that I was able to use them to take steps toward a complete quantum theory of gravity.”