Szabolcs Márka is the Walter O. LeCroy, Jr. Chair Professor of Physics at Columbia University in the City of New York and a world-renowned co-discoverer of cosmic gravitational waves. With over four decades of experience, his expansive research portfolio spans astrophysics, biophysics, nuclear physics, and particle physics.

Professor Márka began his academic journey at Kossuth Lajos University in Hungary and earned his Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University in the United States. He conducted postdoctoral research at Cornell University and the California Institute of Technology before joining the Columbia faculty. Over the course of his career, he has authored over 900 publications, holds several patents, and has accumulated more than 146,000 citations. His research has received extensive coverage in international media outlets including The New York Times, BBC, Scientific American, The Economist, and National Geographic, among many others.

In recognition of his scientific achievements, Professor Márka has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Blavatnik Prize and co-recipient honors such as the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, the Gruber Cosmology Prize, the Princess of Asturias Award, the Einstein Medal, and the Bruno Rossi Prize. Beyond fundamental discovery, he is a passionate advocate for applying science to improve human life—believing that the creative power of science, paired with artistic and intellectual exploration, has the potential to make life not only longer and healthier, but deeply meaningful.