Chris Hull

{{Short description|British professor of theoretical physics (born 1957)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox scientist | name = | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRS|FInstP|size=100%}} | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image =  | image_size = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Christopher Michael Hull | birth_date = {{birth year and age |1957}}<ref name=whoswho/> | birth_place = | death_date =  | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates =  | other_names = | pronounce = | residence = | citizenship = | nationality = | fields = Theoretical physics | workplaces = Imperial College London | patrons = | education = Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School | alma_mater = University of Cambridge (BA, PhD) | thesis_title = The structure and stability of the vacua of supergravity | thesis_url = http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.350108 | thesis_year = 1983 | doctoral_advisor = Gary Gibbons<ref name=mathgene/> | academic_advisors = | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = | influences = | influenced = | awards = Dirac Medal (IOP) (2003)<br />Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2002) | spouse =  | partner =  | children = | signature =  | signature_alt = | website = {{URL|imperial.ac.uk/people/c.hull}} | footnotes = }}'''Christopher Michael Hull''' (born 1957)<ref name=whoswho>{{Who's Who | author=Anon| title=Hull, Prof. Christopher Michael | id = U256675 | year = 2007 | doi =10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.256675 | edition = online Oxford University Press|location=Oxford}}</ref> {{post-nominals|FRS|FInstP|country=GBR}}<ref name="frs">{{cite web|url=https://royalsociety.org/people/christopher-hull-11661/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117103240/https://royalsociety.org/people/christopher-hull-11661/|archive-date=2015-11-17|website=royalsociety.org|publisher=Royal Society|location=London|author=Anon|year=2012|title=Professor Christopher Hull FRS}} One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: {{blockquote|“All text published under the heading 'Biography' on Fellow profile pages is available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.” --{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111170346/https://royalsociety.org/about-us/terms-conditions-policies/|title=Royal Society Terms, conditions and policies|date=2016-11-11}}}}</ref> is a professor of theoretical physics at Imperial College London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.hull|title=Home - Professor Chris Hull FRS|website=www.imperial.ac.uk}}</ref> Hull is known for his work on string theory, M-theory, and generalized complex structures.<ref>Imperial College London, publications of Professor Chris Hull, 2010-04-04. {{cite web|url=http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.hull/publications |title=PUBLICATIONS-c.hull |access-date=2010-04-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616070523/http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.hull/publications |archive-date=2011-06-16 }}</ref> Edward Witten drew partially from Hull's work for his development of M-theory.<ref>Edward Witten, in a radio interview in "Vetandets värld" on Swedish public radio, 2008-06-06. {{cite web |url=http://www.sr.se/webbradio/?Type%3Ddb%26Id%3D1182281 |title=Ett universum av strängarMöt ed Witten, ledande strängteoretiker - webbradio - sr.se |access-date=2010-04-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423032054/http://www.sr.se/webbradio/?Type=db&Id=1182281 |archive-date=2009-04-23 }}</ref>

==Education== Hull was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School<ref name=whoswho/> and the University of Cambridge where he was a student of King's College, Cambridge and awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979 followed by a PhD in 1983 for research supervised by Gary Gibbons.<ref name=mathgene>{{MathGenealogy|id=112578}}</ref><ref name=hullphd>{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|publisher=University of Cambridge|title=The structure and stability of the vacua of supergravity|first= Christopher Michael|last=Hull|date=1983|id={{EThOS|uk.bl.ethos.350108}}|url=https://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=44CAM_ALMA21429685720003606&context=L&vid=44CAM_PROD&search_scope=SCOP_CAM_ALL&tab=cam_lib_coll&lang=en_US|oclc=499826125|website=lib.cam.ac.uk}}</ref>

==Career and research== Hull conducts research into quantum gravity, a field that aims to discover a unifying theory of quantum theory and general relativity.<ref name=frs/> His particular contributions have been made to superstring theory, which models particles and forces as vibrations of 'supersymmetric strings', and supergravity, which combines supersymmetry with general relativity.<ref name=frs/>

Many mathematical challenges facing quantum gravity are being met through Hull's efforts to bring in, and extend, techniques from geometry and field theory.<ref name=frs/> His work laid the foundations of M-theory, which brings together apparently competing theories.<ref name=frs/> Overall success in quantum gravity would revolutionise our understanding of the fundamental nature of matter and the origins of, and evolution, of our Universe.<ref name=frs/>

He leads a major research programme in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, with investigations that include extended geometries, flux geometries and holographic structures.<ref name=frs/>

=== Awards and honours === Hull was awarded a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2002 and the Paul Dirac Medal and Prize by the Institute of Physics in 2003. He was awarded a Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) Advanced Research fellowship in 1987{{citation needed|date=March 2018}} and an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Senior Research Fellowship in 1996.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}} He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP).<ref>Imperial College London, honours and awards of Professor Chris Hull, 2010-04-04. {{cite web|url=http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.hull/honoursandawards |title=HONOURS and AWARDS-c.hull |access-date=2010-04-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616071153/http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/c.hull/honoursandawards |archive-date=2011-06-16 }}</ref>

== References == {{reflist|35em}}

{{CC-notice|cc=by4|url=https://royalsociety.org/people/christopher-hull-11661/}} {{FRS 2012}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Christopher Michael}} Category:British string theorists Category:Fellows of the Institute of Physics Category:Living people Category:1957 births Category:Academics of Imperial College London Category:Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Category:People educated at Haberdashers' Boys' School Category:British fellows of the Royal Society