Geoffrey West

Geoffrey West is a theoretical physicist and Shannan Distinguished Professor at the Santa Fe Institute (SFI), where he served as President from 2005 to 2009. He was founder and leader of the High Energy Physics Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory and remains a Senior Fellow there. His work bridges physics, biology, and social sciences through studies of universal scaling laws.

• Visiting Professor of Mathematics at Imperial College, London
• Associate Fellow at Said Business School, Oxford University

Research spans from elementary particle physics to quantitative models of biological systems and social organizations like cities and corporations. Key focus areas include aging, cancer, ecosystems, and sustainability.

Awards include the Mercer Award, Weldon Memorial Prize, Glenn Award, and APS Szilard Award. Featured in TIME's 100 Most Influential People (2006).

• BA in Physics from Cambridge University (1961)
• Doctorate in Physics from Stanford University (1970)

He is married to psychologist Jacqueline West, with two children: Joshua (Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences at USC, Olympic silver medalist) and Devorah (International Studies at Stanford).