Professor Jarzynski, Who Applies Thermodynamics to Generative AI Research, Wins Lee Hwi-so Award

World-renowned statistical physicist who advanced nonequilibrium thermodynamics
To lecture on AI and thermodynamics in the microscopic world in Pohang and Jeju, Oct. 19-21

A world-renowned statistical physicist who developed a theory for calculating changes in free energy even in physical systems that are not in equilibrium has been selected as this year's recipient of the Lee Hwi-so Award. In recent years, he has broadened his research to include applying principles of nonequilibrium thermodynamics to generative artificial intelligence (AI) research.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (APCTP) announced on October 19 that Christopher Jarzynski, a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland in the United States, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Lee Hwi-so Award.

Poster for the 2026 Lee Whi-so Prize Special Lecture Series. Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Professor Jarzynski is the physicist who proposed the Jarzynski equality, which makes it possible to calculate free-energy differences even in processes that do not occur in thermodynamic equilibrium. Free energy is a physical quantity related to a system's capacity to do work on its surroundings and plays an important role in understanding changes such as chemical reactions and molecular binding.

Traditional thermodynamics examined changes in free energy primarily in equilibrium states. The Jarzynski equality, however, showed that free-energy differences between equilibrium states can be determined from the statistical distribution of work obtained by repeatedly carrying out processes away from equilibrium. This achievement provided a new way to study energy changes in the microscopic world, including in nanometer-scale materials and biomolecules.

Professor Jarzynski has also contributed to research on fluctuation theorems and stochastic thermodynamics. In recognition of these achievements, he received the Lars Onsager Prize from the American Physical Society in 2019.

Exploring the Connection Between Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics and Generative AI

Professor Jarzynski will give special lectures at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) on October 19 and 20. On October 19, he will speak on "Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics, Generative AI, and Free-Energy Estimation," introducing the relationship between generative AI and nonequilibrium statistical physics, as well as methods for estimating free energy using these approaches.

On October 21, he will deliver a keynote address at the Korean Physical Society's fall meeting at the Jeju International Convention Center on "Extending the Laws of Thermodynamics to the Microscopic World."

The Lee Hwi-so Award is an academic award jointly established in 2012 by APCTP and the Korean Physical Society to honor the achievements of the late Dr. Lee Hwi-so (1935–1977), a world-renowned particle theory physicist of Korean origin. Dr. Lee is recognized for his contributions to gauge theory and renormalization in particle physics.

APCTP Director Misao Sasaki said, "We will continue to strengthen close networks between world-renowned scholars and domestic researchers and solidify our role as a global hub."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.