Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics


Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics is an international non-governmental research institute for physical sciences. It is located in the Campus of the Pohang University of Science and Technology, in Pohang, South Korea. The centre was founded in 1996 by Nobel Laureate Chen-Ning Yang.

Structure and history

The Asia Pacific Theoretical Physics Center is theoretical physics research leading, international joint research programs, in the Asia-Pacific region. The APCTP was founded in June 1996 as an international non-governmental organizations, with current member states: Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Mongolia, India, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan.
The Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics is a close-knit, multi-disciplinary research environment that hosts scientists working on challenging problems at the forefront of biophysics, condensed matter, quantum information, astrophysics, cosmology and particle physics. The institute also plays a key role in Korea by inviting international scholars, acting as a conduit for collaboration through focus workshops and training young scientists.
The APCTP, whose previous presidents include Nobel Laureates C. N. Yang and Robert B. Laughlin, has a rich history and celebrated its 20th year in 2016. In 2008, APCTP established Junior Research Groups under a previous president, Peter Fulde, in collaboration with the Max Planck Society in Germany, as a means to provide gifted young scientists with their first opportunity of managing research. The institute currently supports eight JRG groups.
The APCTP is located at the Pohang University for Science and Technology, which in addition to possessing established departments in both mathematics and the natural sciences, ranks globally within the top 100 universities. Moreover, the boutique campus currently boasts the POSTECH-Max Planck center for quantum materials, as well as four centers from the Korean government flagship Institute for Basic Science program, spanning low-dimensional electronic systems, immunology, self-assembly and notably, the only mathematics IBS center to date.