معرفی
William Newman is a Professor in the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), currently on sabbatical at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. His primary academic home resides within UCLA's geoscience and planetary science division.
His educational credentials include:
- B.Sc. (Hon.) in Physics from the University of Alberta, Canada (1971)
- M.Sc. in Physics from the University of Alberta, Canada (1972)
- M.S. in Astronomy and Space Science from Cornell University (1975)
- Ph.D. in Astronomy and Space Science from Cornell University (1979)
Professor Newman applies theoretical physics and applied mathematics to solve critical real-world problems across multiple disciplines. His research spans statistical techniques for climate change assessment, earthquake hazard modeling, solar system evolution (including collision risks from trans-Jovian bodies), astrophysical jet dynamics, and pattern emergence in complex systems. This interdisciplinary work bridges geophysics, planetary science, and astrophysics through rigorous mathematical frameworks.
His publication record (2024-2016) reveals three dominant research thrusts: (1) Semiconductor electron emission physics (GaAs nanotips, photoemission sources), (2) Solar system dynamics and celestial mechanics (N-body simulations, impact hazards), and (3) Complex systems analysis (earthquake patterns, statistical record-breaking events). These intersect physics, earth sciences, and computational mathematics through shared methodologies in statistical modeling and nonlinear dynamics.
At UCLA, Newman developed innovative courses including a natural disasters undergraduate GE course (satisfying diversity requirements) and graduate-level planetary atmospheres and continuum mechanics curricula. His academic contributions include over 100 refereed papers and graduate textbooks published by Princeton and Cambridge University Presses, focusing on mathematical methods for geophysics and space physics.
