Peter LEVAI

Wigner Research Centre for Physics
Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH)

29-33 Konkoly-Thege Miklós street, Budapest, Hungary, H-1121

P. O. Box 49, 1525 Budapest, Hungary

Phone: +36 1 392 2512 Fax: +36 1 392 2598

E-mail: levai.peter@wigner.hu

Web: https://wigner.hu

Director General of the Wigner Research Centre for Physics (Wigner RCP), Budapest, Hungary
Born: 8 August 1962, Miskolc, Hungary, Hungarian Nationality

Education and Quailification

Ordinary Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS)

2016

Corresponding Member of the HAS

2010

Habilitation (Dr.habil.) in the Eötvös Loránd University (Budapest, Hungary)

2000

Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) of the HAS

1999

Habilitation (Cand.Sc.) [PhD] of the HAS on Nuclear Physics

1992

Dr.Rer.Nat. of the Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Science, Nuclear Physics

1989

Diploma (MSc.) of the Eötvös Loránd University on Physics

1986

Employment

MTA KFKI RMKI/Wigner RCP (change in name)

Research Professor

2011-

Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest

Private Associate Professor

2001-

Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA

Visiting Scientist

2001-2002

Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

Visiting Scientist

1999-2001

MTA KFKI RMKI, Budapest

Scientific Advisor

1999-2010

MTA KFKI RMKI

Senior Research Fellow

1994-1999

Texas A & M University, College Station, TX, USA

Research Associate

1991-1992

Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

Research Associate

1990-1991

MTA KFKI RMKI, Budapest

Research Fellow

1989-1993

HAS, MTA KFKI RMKI, Budapest

Scholar for Ph.D.

1986-1989

Research Management

Member of the Infrastructure Committee of the NRDI Office, Budapest

2020-

Wigner RCP

Director General

2012-

Member of the President Committee of HAS, Budapest

2014-2018

Member of the Infrastructure Committee of HAS, Budapest

2013-2020

Deputy Director of the MTA KFKI RMKI, Budapest

2010-2011

Team leader of the Hungarian ALICE group at CERN LHC

2005-2012

Head of the Theoretical Phys. Dept., MTA KFKI RMKI, Budapest

2003-2010

Major International Councils and Committees

Vice-President of the CERN Council

2019 - 2022

Scientific Advisor to the Hungarian CERN Delegation

Since 2011

Scientific Advisor to the Hungarian ESFRI Delegation

Since 2010

Member of the ECFA Committee

2012-2020

Member of the EPS ACC (Action Committee for Conferences)

2005-2010

Member of the EPS HEP Board

1999-2010

Awards, Honors

Member of the European Academy of Arts and Sciences (ASAE)

2020

PIFI Distinguished Scientist of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Beijing

2020

Janos Neumann Prize of the Ministry of National Development

Hungary

2014

Member of the Academia Europeae (AE)

2012

Knight Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic

Hungary

2007

International Scholar Award of Phi-Beta-Delta Society

USA

2006

Academy Prize of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Budapest

2003

Physics Prize of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

2001

Novobátzky Prize of the Eötvös Loránd Physical Society

Budapest

2001

Professional activities

[INSPIRE: 500 papers, 45 000 citations, h-index: 114]

Theoretical studies

Since 1986 I have published more than 100 papers on theoretical high energy physics, focusing on the production of quark-gluon plasma (QGP), the new phase of the strongly interacting nuclear matter. I investigated the properties of QGP and its hadronization by field theoretical and phenomenological models. I used relativistic hydrodynamics, thermodynamics, statistical physics, I developed new resummation methods in QCD for study jet energy loss in hot dense deconfined matter. My most cited papers: M. Gyulassy, P. Lévai, I. Vitev: Non-Abelian energy loss at finite opacity, Phys. Rev. Letters 85 (2000) 5535. [537 citations]; Reaction operator approach to non-Abelian energy loss, Nucl. Phys. B594 (2001) 371. [763 citations]; Total citation on theoretical papers: cca. 7000 citations

Member of the SPS NA49 Collaboration [1994-2010]

I participated in data analysis and the study of hadronic transverse momentum spectra, investigating thermal, flow and correlation effects, searching for QGP signatures in data on strange and charm particle production. (85 papers, cca. 6500 citations)

Member of the LHC ALICE Collaboration [Since 2002]

I participated in the construction of ALICE detector and the installation of the HMPID subdetector (organizing the activity of the Hungarian group as team leader between 2005-2012); participated in the upgrade project VHMPID; data analysis related to collective effects, jet energy loss and particle correlations. (300 papers, cca. 33000 citations)

Member of the CERN FCC Collaboration [Since 2017]

Participation in the creation of the FCC Conceptual Design Report, as a member of the Hungarian FCC Group.

Further experimental activities

I have supervised the built-up of the Hungarian Group for CERN AWAKE Collaboration on laser-plasma accelerator, the SPOTTING Collaboration with CERN KT for visualization of large data bases, participated in the activity of the HEPTECH Collaboration on technology transfer. Recently we develop the ALICE Analysing Facility for next generation of computing facilities at Wigner Datacenter, which served as CERN Tier-0 center between 2013-2020.

Educational activities

I am teaching high energy nuclear physics at Eötvös Loránd University from 1989. I have accomplished my habilitation in 2000 and received the title of “private docent”. During last 20 years 8 students received MSc and 5 students received PhD degree under my supervision on topics related to high energy nuclear physics and quark-gluon plasma research. I give outreach talks regularly.

Peter LEVAI