Claudia de Rham

Theoretical physicist Claudia de Rham is professor in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London. She develops and tests cosmological theories dealing with a wide variety of concepts, from the early universe and dark energy to the behavior of gravity.

She has been particularly involved in developing a new theory of massive gravity concerning gravitons, which are hypothetical particles responsible for transmitting gravitational forces. This work has profound implications for the area of research now dubbed ‘beyond Einstein gravity’, which includes exploring new types of particles in the universe and connecting the theories of gravity with current and next-generation astrophysics experiments.

The awards de Rham has won include the Adams Prize, Finalist and Laureate awards from the Blavatnik Foundation, the Senior Beate Naroska Guest Professorship for outstanding research in Theoretical Physics, as well as for her active involvement in creating equal opportunities for women in physics. She is also the recipient of a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award and a Simons Investigator among other grants and awards.