Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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ICTP has awarded the 2026 Dirac Medal to four physicists — Bernard Derrida, Deepak Dhar, Marc Mézard, and Haim Sompolinsky — for pioneering work in statistical mechanics that reshaped how we understand complex systems, from spin glasses to artificial intelligence and the brain.

ICTP Research Scientist Jean Barbier explains what statistical mechanics is and the core ideas behind the medallists' contributions.

Read the full announcement: https://www.ictp.it/news/2026/8/ictp-announces-2026-dirac-medal-recipients