| Office Location: | 243 Physics Bldg |
| Office Phone: | (919) 660-2862 |
| Email Address: | |
| Web Page: | http://www.cgtp.duke.edu/~drm/ |
| Ph.D. | Harvard University | 1980 |
| A.M. | Harvard University | 1977 |
| A.B. | Princeton University | 1976 |
Dr. Morrison studies complex algebraic geometry and related topics. His current primary research interests center around issues in algebraic geometry which have recently arisen in mathematical physics. Physicists studying superstring theory (a promising approach to the construction of grand unified field theories) find that the ``strings'' of the theory must propagate in a 10-dimensional spacetime. Yet since we only observe four spacetime dimensions in the real world, the other six dimensions must be playing a different rôle. It turns out that the ``extra'' six dimensions form a type of complex algebraic variety called a Calabi-Yau threefold. These varieties had been studied by algebraic geometers (including Dr. Morrison) long before the connection with physics was discovered. Dr. Morrison has spent the last dozen years working in collaboration with physicists to further develop the physical theories based on these algebraic varieties. He has also devoted a substantial effort to finding mathematical explanations for some of the discoveries about these varieties made by physicists, particularly the one known as ``mirror symmetry.''