Lee Smolin

Lee Smolin
Smolin in 2004
Born	(1955-06-06) June 6, 1955 (age 69)[1] New York City, US
Alma mater	Hampshire College (B.A.) Harvard University (A.M., Ph.D)
Awards	Majorana Prize (2007) Klopsteg Memorial Award (2009) Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013)
Scientific career
Fields	Physics Cosmology
Institutions	Perimeter Institute, University of Waterloo
Doctoral advisor	Sidney Coleman Stanley Deser

Lee Smolin (/ˈsmoʊlɪn/; born June 6, 1955) is an American theoretical physicist, a faculty member at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, an adjunct professor of physics at the University of Waterloo, and a member of the graduate faculty of the philosophy department at the University of Toronto. Smolin's 2006 book The Trouble with Physics criticized string theory as a viable scientific theory. He has made contributions to quantum gravity theory, in particular the approach known as loop quantum gravity. He advocates that the two primary approaches to quantum gravity, loop quantum gravity and string theory, can be reconciled as different aspects of the same underlying theory. He also advocates an alternative view on space and time that he calls temporal naturalism. His research interests also include cosmology, elementary particle theory, the foundations of quantum mechanics, and theoretical biology.^[2]