PI Public Lecture Series:
Presented by
Title: Niels Bohr: Life Behind the Physics
Abstract: Niels Bohr was a Nobel-winning physicist - a pioneer of quantum theory - but his influence extended far beyond his own research. He was a gifted teacher who established one of the 20th century’s most important centres for physics, and was instrumental in the development of physics worldwide. He became a statesman following the Second World War, calling for international cooperation to avoid nuclear conflict. Bohr’s legacy - in science, humanitarianism, and family - spans generations, as his grandson will illustrate during a special public lecture webcast at Perimeter Institute. Dr. Vilhelm Bohr, a researcher at the National Institute on Aging in Maryland and Chairman of the Niels Bohr Archive in Copenhagen, will provide unique insights into his grandfather’s multifaceted personality, as well as the important influence of Niels Bohr’s father, wife, and brother.
Biography: Vilhelm Bohr was born in Copenhagen in 1950, a son of Aage Bohr and grandson of Niels Bohr. He earned his degree in Medicine at the University of Copenhagen in 1978, and later his PhD and Doctor of Science at the same university. After internship and clinical work at the University Hospital, Copenhagen, he held a postdoctoral fellowship in biochemistry at the University of Copenhagen. From 1982 to 1986, he was a visiting scholar at Stanford University, California, and from 1986 to 1992 he was a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland. Since 1992 he has been department chair at the National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, Maryland. He has published more than 500 original papers in biomedical research, mainly about genome stability and DNA repair, and has received several awards including honorary doctoral assignments. He is a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences. He is a member of the board of the Niels Bohr Archive in Copenhagen and is currently its chair.