UCSB professor David Gross wins $3 million breakthrough prize

ISLA VISTA, Calif. (KEYT) – UCSB professor David Gross earned a $3 million breakthrough prize, honoring scientists driving the growth of human knowledge.

Gross became one of this year's six recipients for his contributions to theoretical physics and earned the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

Gross earned a 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics and made significant progress across several areas to earn the achievement.

UCSB Chancellor Dennis Assanis offered his congratulations to Gross in the following statement:

“On behalf of UC Santa Barbara, I offer our hearty congratulations to Dr. David Gross on winning the 2026 Special Breakthrough Prize for his lifetime contributions to fundamental physics. Dr. Gross has advanced the frontiers of particle physics and string theory, including his discovery of asymptomatic freedom and the formulation of Quantum Chromodynamics. His seminal work has been recognized with the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics. He has also made groundbreaking contributions to the theory of Superstrings, a burgeoning enterprise that brings gravity into the quantum framework. Similarly, his impact at UCSB cannot be overstated. As the former director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and now the Chancellor's Chair Professor in Theoretical Physics, Dr. Gross embodies the spirit and the promise of interdisciplinary research.”

UCSB Chancellor Dennis Assanis