Keynote speaker James Peebles is a 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics awardee famous for his extensive work on physical cosmology. He shared the award with Swiss astronomers Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor.

In 1958, James graduated from the University of Manitoba with a bachelor’s degree. Later, in 1962, he obtained a Princeton University doctorate. He spent the rest of his career at Princeton University, where he joined as an assistant professor in 1965. He then became a full professor in 1972. Additionally, in 1984, he became the Albert Einstein Professor of Science, and in 2000, he became professor emeritus.

In 1971, Speaker James Peebles set the groundwork for several complex new theoretical proposals that assisted cosmological studies with his book Physical Cosmology.

Since 1964, Peebles’ research has focused primarily on physical cosmology, intending to determine where the universe originates. Even though there was little interest in this topic in 1964, Peebles stayed committed to researching it. James  Peebles has contributed in many ways to the Big Bang model.

More than 20 years after Ralph A. Alpher, George Gamow, and Robert C. Herman, James Peebles predicted the cosmic microwave background radiation, along with Dicke and many others. Apart from contributing significantly to the understanding of Big Bang nucleosynthesis, dark energy, and dark matter, he was a major leader in the theory of cosmic structure development throughout the 1970s.

He began researching physical cosmology years before it was recognized as a legitimate and significant area of physics. James’ work has greatly contributed to its acceptance.

Along with his notable books, Peebles has published several valuable and challenging articles. In recognition of his efforts, he has received honorary degrees from the Universities of Chicago, Toronto, Manitoba, McMaster, Newcastle, and Louvain. Additionally, he has earned numerous awards, including the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Eddington Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society.