Paul Davies

Paul Davies is a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist, and best-selling author. He is Regents’ Professor at Arizona State University, where he is Director of Beyond: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, co-director of the Cosmology Initiative and a member of the Arizona Cancer Evolution Center. He previously held academic appointments in the UK and Australia. His research focuses on the “big questions”, from the origin of the universe to the origin of life. The so-called Bunch-Davies quantum vacuum state is widely invoked in the inflationary theory of the cosmic dawn as an explanation for the crucial ripples in the cosmic microwave background radiation. Davies’s most recent book is The Demon in the Machine: How Hidden Webs of Information Are Solving the Mystery of Life. He is a member of the Order of Australia and a recipient of the Bicentenary Medal of Chile. The asteroid (6870) Pauldavies is named in his honor.