Christopher Jarzynski wins Lee Whiso Prize for advancing modern statistical physics

A world-renowned physicist who pioneered a new theoretical framework for calculating energy changes outside thermodynamic equilibrium — helping drive advances in modern statistical physics — has been named this year's recipient of the Lee Whiso Prize.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (APCTP) announced Monday that Christopher Jarzynski, 60, a distinguished university professor at the University of Maryland, has been selected as the 2026 Lee Whiso Prize laureate.

Jarzynski is a globally recognized authority in statistical physics and non-equilibrium thermodynamics. He is best known for deriving the Jarzynski equality, which uses the statistical properties of work measured during non-equilibrium processes to calculate the free energy difference between two equilibrium states.

The theory is credited with breaking through the limits of classical equilibrium thermodynamics by opening a path to estimating free energy differences even in non-equilibrium processes.

Through his research on fluctuation theorems and stochastic thermodynamics, Jarzynski has also contributed to elucidating thermodynamic phenomena in microscopic systems — including nano, biological and quantum systems. In recognition of his achievements, he received the Lars Onsager Prize from the American Physical Society in 2019.

The Lee Whiso Prize was established jointly in 2012 by the APCTP and the Korean Physical Society to honor the legacy of the late Dr. Lee Whiso, a world-class theoretical particle physicist.

Dr. Lee was a Korean-born physicist who made landmark contributions to modern particle physics, including work on the renormalization of gauge theories and research on charm particles.

The APCTP has invited Jarzynski to deliver a special lecture series on non-equilibrium statistical physics at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) on Monday and Tuesday.

Monday's lecture, titled "Non-equilibrium Statistical Physics, Generative AI, and Free Energy Estimation," will examine the principles behind generative AI from a statistical physics perspective and introduce research methods for applying those principles to free energy estimation.

Jarzynski will then deliver a keynote address at the Korean Physical Society's autumn academic conference at the Jeju International Convention Center on Wednesday, speaking on the theme of "Extending the Laws of Thermodynamics to the Microscopic World."

The lectures are expected to give domestic researchers an opportunity to share the latest trends in non-equilibrium statistical physics and discuss the potential convergence of generative AI and physics.

APCTP Director Sasaki Misao said the center would "continue to strengthen close networks between world-class scholars and domestic researchers, and solidify its role as a global hub."