Caltech Mourns the Passing of Mark B. Wise (1953–2026)

Wise, a particle physicist whose research focused on the fundamental constituents of matter and their interactions, played a key role in the development of the heavy quark effective theory (HQET), a formalism that has allowed physicists to make precise predictions in the study of strong nuclear interactions—the most powerful of the fundamental forces of nature. The strong nuclear force serves as the subatomic “glue” that binds quarks together into protons and neutrons, and those protons and neutrons together to form atomic nuclei.

“Mark was a distinguished scientist and a dedicated teacher and mentor, deeply committed to his students and postdoctoral scholars. He was also a kind and generous colleague whose counsel I always valued. I will miss him,” says Hirosi Ooguri, the Fred Kavli Professor of Theoretical Physics and Mathematics and the Kent and Joyce Kresa Leadership Chair of the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy.

Wise was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on November 9, 1953. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Toronto in 1976 and 1977, respectively, and a PhD from Stanford University in 1980.

He joined the Caltech faculty as an assistant professor in 1982, became associate professor in 1984, professor in 1985, and McCone Professor in 1992. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2001, Wise was awarded the J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics by the American Physical Society.

A full obituary will be posted at a later date.