Research in Gravitation and Quantum Field Theory

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Research will be carried out in the following three, connected, areas: modern quantum gravity including supergravity, string theories and their M-theory successors; classical gravities, and quantum theory of fields. Included is the study of black hole entropy on a microscopic, fundamental, level, one of the keys to verifying that the underlying program of unification of all forces of nature is on the right track. This is a period of unprecedented activity in quantum gravity. It is now at the center of our attempts at unification, and has been the central thread in the progression that has led from Einstein's classical gravity to supergravity to string theory and its current exciting extensions such as M-theory. As in any "frontier" research, better understanding of the connections is still required and will be obtained in continuing this progression.