Davide Silvano Achille Gaiotto is an Italian mathematical physicist currently affiliated with the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, since 2011. His research focuses on quantum field theories, string theory, and mathematical physics, with groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of supersymmetric conformal field theories and dualities. He is best known for his role in developing the AGT correspondence and constructing the Ooguri–Vafa metric. Education : Undergraduate at Scuola Normale Superiore (1996–2000), PhD at Princeton University (2004) under Leonardo Rastelli. Key Positions : Postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University (2004–2007), Institute for Advanced Study (2007–2011), and faculty member at Perimeter Institute since 2011. Gaiotto's work bridges advanced mathematical techniques with theoretical physics. He explored M5-branes compactified on Riemann surfaces, leading to insights into four-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories via the AdS/CFT correspondence. His 2008 collaboration with Gregory Moore and Andrew Neitzke refined the Ooguri–Vafa metric using the Gibbons–Hawking ansatz, while the 2010 AGT correspondence (with Luis Alday and Yuji Tachikawa) established a duality between 6D (2,0) superconformal field theory and Liouville field theory. Scientific Honors : Gribov Medal (2011) New Horizons in Physics Prize (2013) He represented Italy in the International Mathematical Olympiad (silver, 1996) and International Physics Olympiad (gold, 1995), highlighting his early academic excellence.







