New Kavli Institute Announced at the University of Tokyo

Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe Receives
Major Endowment from The Kavli Foundation,
Joining Family of Kavli Institutes

Issued by the University of Tokyo, Japan - February 8, 10:00am JST

The University of Tokyo (Todai) announced today the establishment of an endowment by The Kavli Foundation for the Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU).

The Institute, which will now be known as the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU), seeks answers to the biggest questions in cosmology through collaborative research conducted by a wide range of scientists, including mathematicians, theoretical physicists, experimental physicists and astronomers. Together, they focus on topics such as dark matter and dark energy, which make up nearly 96 percent of the universe but today are completely unknown, and the possibility of a single unified theory that can explain the cosmos at the smallest and largest scales.

"It is a great honor for the University of Tokyo that the world-renowned Kavli Foundation has chosen the Institute for the Mathematics and Physics of the Universe as the recipient of a major donation, and to become the newest member of the Kavli group of research institutes as the Kavli IPMU," said University of Tokyo President Junichi Hamada. "Mr. Kavli's generous donation ensures a secure foundation for the Kavli IPMU today and guarantees that the institute will remain at the forefront of its field. In addition, this donation has had a significant impact on the University of Tokyo's organizational reforms. Seizing this opportunity, I hope to build on this momentum and redouble our efforts to pursue reform at the University of Tokyo."

The Kavli IPMU is comprised of about 200 researchers from 15 fields, with almost half coming from outside Japan. Reflecting its dedication to multi-disciplinary collaboration, the Institute is embodied in a five-story research building at the Kashiwa campus, outside of Tokyo in Chiba prefecture, where researchers from different fields typically alternate offices, and the hallways gradually ramp from floor-to-floor to encourage informal connections.

"I am very glad to welcome the Kavli IPMU to our community of institutes," said Fred Kavli, Founder and Chairman of The Kavli Foundation. "By bringing together disciplines ranging from mathematics to theoretical and experimental physics, the Institute is certain to inspire creative collaborations that will lead to exciting discoveries about the universe. I also hope that our support of science in Japan can demonstrate that the quest for knowledge has no boundaries, and that finding the answers to some of science's biggest and most fundamental questions itself requires international collaboration." กก