Professor Mark Alford will spend next semester in Frankfurt, Germany after receiving a prestigious Humboldt Research Award, an honor that recognizes internationally renowned scholars whose work has had a lasting impact on their field. The award will support a seven-month research stay at the Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITP) at Goethe University in Frankfurt, where he will deepen collaborations and pursue new directions in his study of dense matter in neutron stars. 

For Alford, the ITP is a familiar and fruitful environment. He has visited nearly every summer for the past 15 years, building long-term connections with faculty whose expertise aligns closely with his own. The extended stay will give him the chance to work in close contact with colleagues he usually only sees during brief visits. He hopes the extended collaboration will spark new ideas and open avenues for future projects. 

His sabbatical isn’t limited to one institute either. Alford will also work closely with his long-time collaborator at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies. Beyond Frankfort, he also plans to reconnect with researchers at Darmstadt University, many of whom he has worked with or whose research intersects with his own. 

While Frankfurt will be his home base, Alford plans to make the most of his time in Europe. He’s already scheduled to deliver lectures at a “Winter School” at Karpacz in Poland, and he hopes to visit additional universities throughout Germany and parts of Europe during his stay. 

This period of focused collaboration and travel promises to be an exciting chapter for Professor Alford and his work. We look forward to following the discoveries and connections that emerge during his time abroad.