The Center for Gravitational Physics (CGP) was founded in 2020 and is part of the Department of Physics in the College of Natural Science at the University of Texas at Austin. The research mission of the center is to unravel the mystery of strong-field gravity as it plays out in the universe. A center like this brings together faculty, research scientists, postdocs and students, enabling them to work in a common space and spark new ideas and collaborations. The CGP is housed in a newly renovated space in Welch on the fourth floor.
The physics department at UT Austin has a long history of gravitational research and hosted a Center for Relativity from 1962-2015. Below is a group snapshot from 1978 courtesy of Prof. Mel Oakes. Check out his website to read more about the history of gravity at UT Austin and its members over the years including Alfred Schild, Roy Kerr, Roger Penrose, Jurgen Ehlers, Engleburt Schucking, Ray Sachs, Robert Geroch, Bryce DeWitt, Cecile DeWitt-Morette, Larry Shelpley, Richard Matzner, Dennis Sciama, and Matthew Coptuik and more! John Wheeler and Claudio Teitelboim also interacted during their time at UT Austin.
