From working on Steven Hawking's information paradox to researching the nature of the inner workings of black holes, Ahmed Almheiri spends much of his time peering into the unknown. As a theoretical physicist, the Assistant Professor of Physics says he has to intentionally question any truths he may expect to find – instead focusing on the discoveries he may uncover.

“Somewhat paradoxically, I’m always anticipating surprise,” Almheiri said. “I believe this to be a common theme in all major physics discoveries. Einstein’s starting point of using thought experiments in elevators in coming up with general relativity, his theory of how gravity works, is lightyears away from its completed formulation describing gravity as the by-product of spacetime warped by matter. To allow the chain of logic to go from elevators to black holes, he must have let his ‘common sense’ guard down and allowed physics to speak for itself.”

Almheiri’s latest project is theoretical and abstract. He’s working on understanding spacetime.

“How often can the space between you and I be divided? Is it a continuous, smooth thing, or is it made up of a large but finitely many tiny segments?” Almheiri explained. If we keep zooming in with a bigger and bigger microscope, will we find a graininess or a finite resolution to space?”

Almheiri said something inside him drives these questions, propels his desire to learn, and the pressure to understand. There is a rush to discover new things about the universe, and theoretical physics is perfect, he said, because all you need is a pen and paper.

Almheiri became interested in physics in 12th grade while finishing school in Abu Dhabi. He said his teacher did such a great job presenting the subject that Almheiri was sure everyone in the class would end up doing physics.

“These things he was teaching us were mind-blowing,” he said. “It was one paradigm shift after the other, each changing your perspective on everything you thought you already understood.”

Almheiri hopes that, as a professor, he communicates his excitement about physics in the classroom.

Almheiri’s work has been published in several science outlets, including his research on Black Holes.

He is the Head Organizer of Strings 2025, a physics conference hosted by NYUAD from January 6 to 10, 2025. This exciting, long-running event brings together the brightest minds from around the world to discuss, debate, and share the most recent advances in string theory, quantum gravity, and quantum field theory.