Physics Chair Bret Underwood receives 2023 K.T. Tang Faculty Excellence Award in Research

The university sponsors the Faculty Excellence Awards to recognize outstanding accomplishments of the faculty in five areas of faculty work: teaching, advising, mentoring, research, and service. Their peers have nominated and selected the recipients, signifying their high regard among those who know them well.

Underwood’s scholarship stands at the forefront of theoretical physics, seamlessly navigating the intersections of Einstein’s general relativity, cosmology, high-energy physics, string theory, and loop quantum gravity. His outstanding achievements are reflected in his 28 refereed publications since 2006 and in the recognition earned through three invitations to serve as a keynote speaker at major conferences and workshops.

Underwood’s exceptional problem-solving skills and humble and patient approach have substantially modified our understanding of early Universe dynamics and garnered him an international reputation. The nomination packet for Underwood included letters from PLU colleagues and research scientists worldwide offering their enthusiastic support. One colleague observed that Underwood has “made advances in cosmology research worthy of an R-1 university.” Another colleague elaborated on the significance of one recent paper, where Underwood took steps to unify two very distinct physical frameworks. As the colleague wrote, “Bret is working to answer one of the most important unsolved questions in fundamental physics, namely: how can gravity accommodate modifications to the Standard Model of particle physics?”

The K.T. Tang Faculty Excellence Award in Research is made possible by an endowment established by Wilfred Chan, a 1974 alumnus of PLU, in honor of his former professor, K.T. Tang, Professor Emeritus of Physics.