2020 Nobel Prize laureates for physics

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has revealed the list of 2020 winners of the Nobel Prize in Physics, with research focusing on black holes. 

The three winning scientists for 2020 are Roger Penrose (Oxford University), Reinhard Genzel (MPG, UC Berkley), and Andrea Ghez (UCLA). Ghez joins scientists Marie Curie, Maria Goeppert-Mayer, and Donna Strickland as the fourth woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics. The work of Ghez, Penrose, and Reinhard have demonstrated that black holes are possible within the constructs of Einstein’s theory of relativity, as well as prove the existence of a black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. 

Genzel and Ghez are both fellows of the American Physical Society (APS)- APS President Phil Bucksaum has commended the trio, and said “[their work] has led to the understanding that supermassive black holes inhabit the centers of many galaxies. I’m also pleased to see the Swedish academy recognize a fourth woman Nobel Laureate.” 

In response to the win and subsequent commendations, Ghez stated in a phone interview, “I hope I can inspire other young women into the field. It’s a field that has so many pleasures, and if you are passionate about the science, there’s so much that can be done.”