"For developing Monte Carlo methods that overcome the fermion sign problem, leading to the first ab initio data for an electron gas under warm dense matter conditions."
Background:Michael Bonitz received a physics diploma from Moscow State Lomonosov University in 1987. He then worked at Rostock University, Germany, where he obtained a PhD for a theoretical work on nonideal plasmas in 1991 and the habilitation for work on quantum kinetic theory. He spent two years as a postdoc at the Optical Sciences Center of the University of Arizona in Tucson and was a visiting professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Since 2003 Michael is a full professor of theoretical physics at Kiel University, Germany, where he holds a chair for Statistical Physics. Michael‘s research topics include nonideal classical and quantum plasmas, dusty plasmas, plasma-surface interaction, correlated electrons in solids and nanostructures, femtosecond electron dynamics, and laser-matter interaction. Aside from theoretical work he is developing first-principle computer simulations, including quantum kinetic equations, quantum hydrodynamics, nonequilibrium Green functions and novel quantum Monte Carlo methods. For his research results he was awarded the Gustav-Hertz prize of the German Physical Society, a doctor honoris causa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and a fellowship of the American Physical Society. He is a member of the German and American Physical Societies and editor in chief of the journal Contributions to Plasma Physics.
William Farmer (Chair), Howard Milchberg (Vice Chair), Will Fox ('20 recipient), Radha Bahukutumbi, Matt Landreman