The prize citation for Dr. Gates’ Barry Prize reads:
In a career that joins pioneering academic contributions with public service, Sylvester James Gates, Jr. has advanced our understanding of space and time, the great cosmic scaffold of our world. He has expanded the boundaries of physics through his work on supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory, and expanded its scope through education of the public, and advocacy for those seeking opportunity in the sciences. The Academy honors Dr. Gates’ distinguished contributions to humanity’s insight into the most basic elements that constitute our universe.
Sylvester James Gates, Jr. is Clark Leadership Chair in Science, Physics Department professor, and School of Public Policy professor at the University of Maryland. Known for his pioneering work in supersymmetry and supergravity, in 1984 he co-authored the first comprehensive book on supersymmetry, Superspace: One Thousand and One Lessons in Supersymmetry. A past president of both the American Physical Society and the National Society of Black Physicists, he has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He is the recipient of the Mendel Medal and in 2013 was awarded the National Medal of Science.
November 2025
The prize citation for Dr. Gates’ Barry Prize reads:
In a career that joins pioneering academic contributions with public service, Sylvester James Gates, Jr. has advanced our understanding of space and time, the great cosmic scaffold of our world. He has expanded the boundaries of physics through his work on supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory, and expanded its scope through education of the public, and advocacy for those seeking opportunity in the sciences. The Academy honors Dr. Gates’ distinguished contributions to humanity’s insight into the most basic elements that constitute our universe.
Sylvester James Gates, Jr. is Clark Leadership Chair in Science, Physics Department professor, and School of Public Policy professor at the University of Maryland. Known for his pioneering work in supersymmetry and supergravity, in 1984 he co-authored the first comprehensive book on supersymmetry, Superspace: One Thousand and One Lessons in Supersymmetry. A past president of both the American Physical Society and the National Society of Black Physicists, he has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He is the recipient of the Mendel Medal and in 2013 was awarded the National Medal of Science.
November 2025