Director and Leon Levy Professor of the Institute for Advanced Study since 2012. Mathematical physicist who has made significant contributions to string theory and the advancement of science education. President of the InterAcademy Partnership; past President of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences; distinguished public policy adviser and advocate for science and the arts. For contributions to science, recipient of the Spinoza Prize, the highest scientific award in the Netherlands. Named a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Trained artist, writer and popular lecturer.