![]() ![]() And today, at the University of Maryland, he is the first African American to hold an endowed chair in physics at a major research institution in the United States. In 1983, he authored, along with three others, the book Superspace or 1001 Lessons in Supersymmetry, which almost two decades later still remains the standard in the field. He went on to complete postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard and California Institute of Technology and then returned to MIT as an assistant professor of applied mathematics. In 1977, he received his doctorate in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, completing the first doctoral thesis at MIT on the topic of supersymmetry. His groundbreaking work in the areas of superstring theory, supersymmetry and supergravity has made him a leading expert on the topic. Jim Gates (his preferred moniker) is one of a handful of Black physicists in the United States. ![]() Toll professor of physics at the University of Maryland College Park. Sylvester James Gates Jr., the first John S. Then again, perhaps, you just have to be Dr. Or maybe it is not courage that you need, but a defined self-assuredness, a keen sense of humility, and a pronounced dedication to the principles of family and community. But you also have to be a brave person to step in as the primary parent and take precocious 8-year-old twins along with you on a yearlong sabbatical to do research at one of the top research institutions in the United States. The work is often faddish and fast-paced, and the prospects of getting a job are few. It requires a command of both science and mathematics. You have to be a brave person to persevere in a field like theoretical physics. ![]() is known to be enthusiastic about superstring theory and supersymmetry, but another passion has him speaking out - his commitment to education. ![]()
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