Mark Bowick

Mark Bowick is a Visiting Professor at the Department of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and serves as the Deputy Director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP). He received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Caltech in 1983.

• Research Focus: Symmetry, geometry, topology, and topological defects in systems ranging from quantum field theory to soft and living matter.
• Key Contributions: Statistical mechanics of 2D metamaterials (e.g., graphene), elastic/fluid membranes, and active nematics.

Scientific Awards:

• 1986 Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition First Prize
• APS Fellow (2004)
• AAAS Fellow
• Chancellor's Citation for Exceptional Academic Achievement (2006)
• William Wasserstrom Prize for Graduate Teaching (2009)