Award Winners

Fifteen research scientists have been awarded funding for research support as submitted in response to a Request for Proposals for a Cosmology & Fine-Tuning Research Program. Support has been made possible by the John Templeton Foundation.

Over 80 letters of intent were received from a diverse list of international scientists, of which 39 were invited to submit proposals. A total of 38 full proposals were received and reviewed by a panel consisting of five distinguished judges. Funding priority involved both considerations of scientific merit and relevance to the fine-tuning topic of the RFP.

One million dollars has been made available for support of fourteen projects that are expected to result in publications in peer-reviewed journals or books. Relevant research areas include developing new empirical insights which might illuminate and help quantify the extent to which the Universe can be said to be fine-tuned for life.

The following research scientists have been awarded funding:

Dr. Nick Bostrom, London School of Economics
“Developing a Bayesian Methodology for Anthropic Reasoning and Teleological Explanations in Cosmology”

Dr. Bernard Carr, Queen Mary & Westfield College and Dr. Neil Turok, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge University Visitors Scholars Program

Dr. Attila Csoto, Eotvos Lorand University
“Carbon Production in Stars and Complexification Processes in the Universe”

Dr. John F. Donoghue, University of Massachusetts
“Search for Mechanisms for Fine-Tuning”

Dr. Catherine L. Drennan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Early Enzymes of Life”

Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, University of Washington
“Fine-Tuning of Local Astronomical Parameters for Habitability and Measurability”

Dr. Bruno Guiderdoni, Institut d’ Astrophysique de Paris
“Fine-Tuning from Galaxy Formation to the Stability of Planetary Systems”

Dr. Laura Landweber, Princeton University
“The Origins and Implications of Order in the Genetic Code”

Dr. Andrei Linde, Stanford University
“Inflationary Universe and Anthropic Principle”

Dr. Mario Livio, Space Telescope Science Institute
“Life in the Multiverse”

Dr. David R. Tytler, Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego
“Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the Baryon to Photon Ratio”

Dr. Alexander Vilenkin, Tufts University
“Eternal Inflation and the Present Universe”

Dr. Michael S. Vogeley, Drexel University
“Tests of Cosmological Timing and Tuning from Galaxy Formation in Cosmic Voids”

Dr. John K. Webb, University of New South Wales
“Do the Constants of Nature Vary with Time and Space?”