Michael Ellis Fisher (3 September 1931 – 26 November 2021) was an English physicist, chemist and mathematician. He is known for his work on statistical physics, including the theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena.
Michael Fisher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 September 1931 Fyzabad, Colony of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Died | 26 November 2021 (aged 90)[1] |
| Known for | Statistical physics |
Michael E. Fisher studied science at King's College London in 1951, and a PhD in physics in 1957. He began teaching at the college in 1958 and became a full professor in 1965. In 1966 he moved to Cornell University as professor of chemistry, physics, and mathematics. In 1971, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1983, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, chemistry section. Since 1987 he has been at the Institute for Physical Science and Technology, at the University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.
Fisher lived in Maryland with his wife Sorrel. They have four children. Two of them are also theoretical physicists: Daniel S. Fisher is professor of Applied Physics at Stanford,[2] while Matthew P. A. Fisher is professor of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.[3] He did on 26 November 2021, at the age of 90.[4]
Fisher together with Kenneth G. Wilson and Leo Kadanoff won the Wolf Prize in 1980. In 1983, Fisher was awarded the Boltzmann Medal for his work on phase transitions and critical phenomena.[5] He won the Lars Onsager Prize in 1995 for his work on statistical mechanics. Other awards include:
- Irving Langmuir Prize of the American Physical Society (1971)
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1979)[6]
- Wolf Prize (1980)
- Boltzmann Medal of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (1983)
- NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing of the National Academy of Sciences (1983)[7]
- Lars Onsager Prize of American Physical Society (1995)
- Royal Medal in physics (2005):[8]
- 2009 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences (co-winner with Richard Zare);[9] see[10]
- 2015 Rudranath Capildeo Prize for Applied Sciences and Technology-Gold, awarded by the Trinidad and Tobago's National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST)[11]
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