Nigel David Goldenfeld

Swanlund Endowed Chair; Professor of Physics. Research focused on collective effects in increasingly complex systems and how patterns evolve in time. Co-discovered the singular role of weak forces in pattern formation far from equilibrium. By carefully analyzing bulk measurements, deduced the unconventional pairing state of cuprate superconductors. His novel numerical and renormalization group methods enabled contributions to applied mathematics, phase transition kinetics, turbulence, scaling, geophysical pattern formation, microbial ecology, and evolution. Engaged in multi-institution, multidisciplinary effort to explore how life emerged from early geochemistry.