Yakir Aharonov

Yakir Aharonov (Hebrew: יקיר אהרונוב‎; born 1932 in Haifa, Israel) is an Israeli physicist specialising in Quantum Physics and holds a joint professorship at Tel Aviv University in Israel and the University of South Carolina in the United States since 1973. In the Fall of 2006, he joined the newly formed Center for Quantum Studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. In honor of his arrival at Mason, the Aharonov Lecture Series was established. In 2006-2007, the series will feature Nobel Laureate William D. Phillips of NIST, as well as Roger Penrose, and Paul Davies.

His research interests are nonlocal and topological effects in quantum mechanics, quantum field theories and interpretations of quantum mechanics. In 1959, he and David Bohm proposed the Aharonov-Bohm Effect for which he co-received the 1998 Wolf Prize.

Education

Professor Aharonov received his undergraduate education at Technion University in Haifa, graduating with a BSc in 1956. He continued his studies at Bristol University, UK together with David Bohm receiving a PhD degree in 1960.

Employment

1960-1961: Research Associate, Brandeis University, USA

1961-1964: Assistant Professor, Yeshiva University, USA

1964-1967: Associate Professor, Yeshiva University, USA

1967-1973: Joint professorship at the Tel Aviv University, Israel and the Yeshiva University, USA

1973-2006: Joint professorship at the Tel Aviv University, Israel and the University of South Carolina, America

2006-2008: Professor at George Mason University

2008-Present: Professor at Chapman University

Honors

1981: Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society

1984: Weizmann Price in Physics and Rothschild Price in Physics

1989: Israel National Price in Physics