About
Ilya Prigogine (1917-2003) was a Belgian physicist and chemist of Russian origin, awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1977 for his work on the thermodynamics of irreversible processes. He notably developed the theory of dissipative structures, showing that nonlinear systems far from equilibrium can spontaneously organize into ordered structures. A professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the University of Texas at Austin, he also directed the International Solvay Institute for Physics and Chemistry. He authored popular works such as 'Order Out of Chaos' and 'The End of Certainty', which challenge determinism in physics.
* 1917-01-12 — † 2003-05-28
Major works
- La Nouvelle Alliance (1979)essay
- Order Out of Chaos (1984)essay
- The End of Certainty (1997)essay
Key milestones
- 1941Earned his PhD in chemical sciences at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
- 1977Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the thermodynamics of irreversible processes.
- 1989Granted the hereditary title of viscount by King Baudouin I of Belgium.
Themes
thermodynamicsdissipative structurescomplexitydeterminismtime
Sources: nobelprize.org · britannica.com · physicstoday.aip.org