Research

Research Priorities: Structure, formation, evolution and clustering of galaxies, dark matter and dark energy, gravitational dynamics, simulation of cosmic structure formation, cosmology.

Simon D.M. White has worked primarily on the formation of structure in the Universe and is known for his contributions to the understanding of galaxy formation and for his role in helping to establish the viability of the current standard model for the evolution of cosmic structure, the so-called ΛCDM model.

Already at the time of his doctoral work he studied the influence of Dark Matter on the growth of structure and in 1978 together with astrophysicist Martin Rees White argued that the properties of galaxies can be understood if they form by condensation of gas at the centres of extended dark matter halos.

In later years he developed computer models which allowed the growth of galaxies and galaxy clustering to be simulated directly in order to allow quantitative comparison of theoretical models with astronomical observations. His work with astrophysicists Marc Davis, George Efstathiou and Carlos Frenk was particularly influential in establishing that a universe dominated by Cold Dark Matter could produce large-scale structure in the galaxy distribution which closely resembles that observed.

Further highly cited work has addressed issues of stellar dynamics, of the detailed structure of galaxies and their dark halos, of the processes controlling galaxy formation, of the structure and evolution of galaxy clusters, and of the statistics of galaxy clustering. Particularly influential papers were those with astrophysicists Julio Navarro and Carlos Frenk on the "universal" structure of dark matter halos.

Career

• since 2019 Emeritus Director, Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Garching
• since 2007 D.Sc. (honoris causa), Durham University, Durham, UK
• since 2001 Honorary Professor, National Observatory, Beijing, China
• since 1999 Honorary Professor, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Shanghai, China
• since 1995 Honorary Professor, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich
• 1994-2019 Director, Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Garching
• since 1994 Visiting Professor, University of Durham, Durham, UK
• since 1994 Scientific Member, Max-Planck-Society
• since 1992 Research Professor, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson USA
• 1992-1994 Director, European Association for Research in Astronomy
• 1991-1994 Sheepshanks Reader in Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
• 1990 Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Jerusalem, Israel
• 1987-1991 Professor / Astronomer, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
• 1984-1987 Associate Professor / Astronomer, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona,  Tucson, USA
• 1984 Member, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara, USA
• 1982 Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA
• 1981-1984 Adjunct Assistant Professor, Astronomy Department, University of California (UC) Berkeley, USA
• 1980-1984 Senior Fellow, Space Sciences Laboratory, UC Berkeley, USA
• 1980 Attaché de CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Paris, France
• 1979-1980 Research Fellow, Churchill College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
• 1978 Visiting Research Astronomer, NRAO, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
• 1977-1978 Lindemann Fellow, Department of Astronomy, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
• 1977 Ph.D. in Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
• 1974 M.Sc. in Astronomy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
• 1972 B.A. in Mathematics, Jesus College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

Functions

• since 2009 Member, Advisory Board, The Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, Beijing, China
• since 2009 Chair, International Advisory Board, ICC, Durham University, Durham, UK
• 2009-2010 Panel Chair, Observational Programme Committee, European Southern Observatory (ESO), Garching
• 2009 Member, Visiting Committee, Laboratoire d’Etudes du Rayonnement et de la Matière en Astrophysique et Atmosphères (LERMA), Paris, France
• 2005 Member, Visiting Committee, Physics Department, University of Bonn
• since 2004 Member, Advisory Board, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Toronto, Canada
• 2004 Member, Review Board for MUSE, ESO, Garching
• 2003 Member, Visiting Committee, Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Tenerife, Spain
• 2003 Membre du Comite d'Evaluation de l'Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Paris, France
• 2002-2003 Panel Member, ESO Observational Programme Committee, Garching, Germany
• 2002-2006 Member, Board Physikalische Blätter (now Physik Journal)
• 2002 Member, Visiting Committee, Observatoire de Lyon, Lyon, France
• 2001-2007 Member, Review Committee for DAPNIA, Saclay, France
• 2001 Member, Review of Cosmology Programme of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
• 2000 Advisory Board Member, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• 2000 Elector, Oxford Chair in Astrophysics, Oxford, UK
• 1999 Member, Visiting Committee, Physics Department, Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France
• 1999-2001 Member, PPARC Advisory Board for the Joint Infrastructure Fund
• 1999-2005 Member, Visiting Committee, Astrophysical Institute of Potsdam, Germany
• 1998-2001 Member, Sectional Committee 5, Royal Society of London, London, UK
• 1998-2004 Member, Visiting Committee, Max-Planck-Instutute for Astronomy, Heidelberg
• 1998-2004 Member, Visiting Committee, Institute for Astrophysics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
• 1998-2002 Member, Haute Comite Scientifique, Observatoire de Paris, Meudon, France
• 1998-2002 Member, Steering Committee, Isaac Newton Institute, Cambridge, UK
• 1998 Director, Jerusalem Winter School in Theoretical Physics Galaxy Formation, Jerusalem, Israel
• 1997-2004 Chairman, Board of the European Association for Research in Astronomy
• since 1995 Member, various Structural Commissions, Search Committees and Appointments Committees, Max-Planck Society, München, Germany
• since 1994 Member, Steering Committee, The Virgo Consortium for Cosmological Supercomputer Simulations
• 1994-1995 Member, Nomination Jury for Senior Members, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
• since 1992 Member, Editorial Board, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• 1991-1994 SERC Theory and Computation Panel and Science Advisory Committee, Gemini Project
• 1989-1990 Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee Panels on Policy Opportunities and on Computing and Data Processing
• 1989 Hubble Space Telescope Time Allocation Committee
• 1984-1985 Member, Space Telescope Working Group on Galaxies

Projects

• 2016-2022 “Gravity, Inflaction, and Galaxies: Fundamental Physics with Large-Scale Structure”         (GrIinflaGal), Horizon 2020, European Research Council
• 2011-2015 “Latin American Chinese European Galaxy Formation Network” (Lacegal), Horizon 2020, European Research Council
• 2010-2014 Steering Committee Member, “ Galaxy formation models for the next generation of evolutionary and cosmological surveys” (Galformod), Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities, European Research Council
• 2009-2013 Cosmo Comp, European Union
• 2007-2009 Research Grant Agreement, German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and         Development
• 2006-2018 Project leader, “Simulating the galaxy population of Dark Energy universes“, German Research Community “Transregio 33“, German Research Community
• 2006-2018 Participating Scientist, „Origin and Structure of the Universe”, Clusters of Excellence 153, German Research Community
• 2005-2007 Subproject, “Co-evolution of galaxies and their dark matter environment: constraining the standard structure formation paradigm through simulation and     analysis of galaxy-galaxy lensing“, Priority Programmes 1177, German Research Community
• 2004-2010 Marie Curie Training Site, European Commission  
• since 2000 International Max-Planck-Research Schools (IMPRS)
• 1999-2012 Planck Surveyor, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Honours and Memberships

• 2020 Clarivate Citation Laureate, USA
• 2017 Shaw Prize in Astronomy, Hong Kong
• 2015 Foreign Member, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bejing, China
• 2011 Gruber Cosmology Prize, Gruber Foundation, Yale University, Yale, USA
• 2011 Member, European Physical Society, Mulhouse, France
• 2010 Honorary Citizenship, City of Padua, Italy
• 2010 Max-Born-Preis, Institute of Physics (IOP) and German Physical Society (DPG)
• 2009 Member, Academia Europeae, London, UK
• 2008 European Latsis Prize, European Science Foundation, Strasbourg, France
• 2008 Oort Professorship, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
• 2008 Dirk Brouwer Award, Division of Dynamical Astronomy, American Astronomical Society (AAS), USA
• 2007 Foreign Associate, National Academy of Sciences, USA
• 2007 Honorary doctorate (D.Sc.), Durham University, Durham, UK
• since 2005 Member, German Academy of Science Leopoldina
• 2005 Gold Medal, Royal Astronomical Society, UK
• 2005 Dannie Heineman Prize, American Institute of Physics, USA
• 2005 Blaauw Lecturer, Groningen University, Groningen, The Netherlands
• 2003 Sackler Lecturer, Physics Department, Princeton University, Princeton, UK
• 2000 Max-Planck Research Award for international Cooperation, Max-Planck-Society, Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Germany
• 1999 Lansdowne Lecturer, University of Victoria, Victoria, USA
• 1998 George Darwin Lecturer, Royal Astronomical Society, UK
• 1997 Fellow, Royal Society, UK
• 1996 Grubb Parsons Lecturer, University of Durham, Durham, UK
• 1986 Helen B. Warner Prize, American Astronomical Society (AAS), USA
• 1984-1989 Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation, USA