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Sylvester James Gates, Jr.

Sylvester James Gates, Jr. was elected as an AAS Associate Fellow in 2025. As a fellow, Sylvester James Gates, Jr. contributes to the development of the Academy's strategic direction through participation in AAS activities and governance structures. This gears the Academy's vision of transforming African lives through science.

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Portrait of Sylvester James Gates, Jr.

Sylvester James Gates, Jr.

Associate Fellow

Country

United States

Year Elected

2025

Fellow Type

Associate Fellow

Discipline

Physical Sciences

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Portrait of Sylvester James Gates, Jr.

Sylvester James Gates, Jr.

Associate Fellow

Country

United States

Year Elected

2025

Fellow Type

Associate Fellow

Discipline

Physical Sciences

Biography

Professor James Sylvester Gates (Jnr.) is an Associate Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and a renowned expert in supersymmetry, supergravity and superstring theory. He currently the John S. Toll Professor of Physics, Clark Leadership Chair in Science, Distinguished University Professor, Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics; Professor of Public Policy in the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland. Over his lifetime’s contribution to science, he has one of the most exceptional CV’s. He was one of the earliest contributors to the fields of supersymmetry, supergravity and superstring theory, following his doctoral thesis, which was the first on super-symmetry at MIT. He also co authored the first comprehensive book on the subject “superspace” in 1984. Form these early days he absolutely dominated the development of this incredibly difficult field, the very pinnacle of abstraction and novelty in physics today, as evidenced by his publications and numerous peer recognitions of all kinds at the most esteemed levels. His repertoire is vast and his love and contribution to Africa immense. As an example, he uncovered (discovered) mathematical / theoretical physics structures of the ancient African scholars. These 'adinkras' and 'adynkras' for fundamental physics are the first in human history and they arise from our continent. https://sjgatesjr.umd.edu/