Jeremy England
Jeremy England is an American physicist who uses statistical physics arguments to explain the spontaneous emergence of life, and consequently, the modern synthesis of evolution.[3][4][5][6] England terms this process "dissipation-driven adaptation".[7]
Jeremy England | |
---|---|
Born | 1982 |
Nationality | USA |
Alma mater | |
Known for | Dissipation-driven adaptation hypothesis of abiogenesis |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Biophysics |
Institutions | GlaxoSmithKline |
Thesis | Theory and Simulation of Explicit Solvent Effects on Protein Folding in Vitro and in Vivo (2009) |
Doctoral advisor | Vijay S. Pande[2] |
Website | Official Website |
Early life
England's mother was the daughter of Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors while his father was a non-observant Lutheran.[8] England was born in Boston[9] and raised in a college town in New Hampshire. He was raised Jewish but did not study Judaism until he attended graduate school at Oxford University. He now considers himself an Orthodox Jew.[8]
England earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Harvard in 2003. After being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, he studied at St. John's College, Oxford from 2003 until 2005. He earned his Ph.D. in physics at Stanford in 2009.[1][10] In 2011, he joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Physics Department as an Assistant Professor.[9] In 2019, he joined GlaxoSmithKline as a Senior Director in artificial intelligence and machine learning.[11]
Theoretical work
England has developed a hypothesis of the physics of the origins of life, that he calls 'dissipation-driven adaptation'.[3][4][6] The hypothesis holds that random groups of molecules can self-organize to more efficiently absorb and dissipate heat from the environment. His hypothesis states that such self-organizing systems are an inherent part of the physical world.[8]
Pulitzer-Prize winning science historian Edward J. Larson said that if England can demonstrate his hypothesis to be true, "he could be the next Darwin."[8]
In popular culture
England and his 'dissipation-driven adaptation' theory features in Dan Brown's novel Origin. The fictional character is not related to the real Jeremy England.[12]
References
- Curriculum Vitae- Jeremy L. England (PDF), EnglandLab.com, retrieved December 17, 2014
- England, Jeremy (2009). Theory and Simulation of Explicit Solvent Effects on Protein Folding in Vitro and in Vivo (PhD thesis). ProQuest, UMI Dissertation Publishing. ISBN 978-1243607553.
- Wolchover, Natalie (Jan 28, 2014). "A New Physics Theory of Life". Scientific American. Retrieved Dec 11, 2014.
- "Massachusetts physicist claims he solved mystery of how life emerged from matter". RT. Jan 23, 2014. Retrieved Dec 11, 2014.
- Tafarella, Santi (Jan 28, 2014). "Dissipation-Driven Adaptive Organization: Is Jeremy England The Next Charles Darwin?". Prometheus Unbound. Retrieved Dec 11, 2014.
- Jones, Orion (Dec 9, 2014). "MIT Physicist Proposes New "Meaning of Life"". Big Think. Retrieved Dec 11, 2014.
- Perunov, Nikolai; Marsland, Robert; England, Jeremy (2016). "Statistical Physics of Adaptation". Physical Review X. 6 (2): 021036. arXiv:1412.1875. Bibcode:2016PhRvX...6b1036P. doi:10.1103/PhysRevX.6.021036.
- Meet the Orthodox Jewish physicist rethinking the origins of life" by Simona Weinglass, The Times of Israel, October 29, 2015.
- Faculty biography of Jeremy England, MIT Dept. of Physics, accessed Jan. 9, 2015.
- England, Jeremy. "Curriculum Vitae". englandlab. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- "GlaxoSmithKline recruits a new coach and top player for their AI/ML team out of Genentech and MIT". San Francisco Biotechnology Network News. July 11, 2019.
- "Statement on Origin". englandlab.com.
Further reading
- Wolchover, Natalie (July 26, 2017). "First Support for a Physics Theory of Life". Quanta Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
External links
- Lab website
- Jeremy England discusses his theory of pre-biological evolution and the emergence of complexity in non-living systems - Interview on the 7th Avenue Project radio show
- - What is life-lecture: Jeremy England on 9 September 2014. at Karolinska Institutet