Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne to Deliver Keynote at Caltech’s 132nd Commencement

Kip Thorne (Photo – Caltech)

Kip Thorne, theoretical astrophysicist and Nobel laureate, will deliver the keynote address at Caltech’s 132nd annual Commencement ceremony on June 12, 2026.

By News Desk

A distinguished alumnus of Caltech (BS ’62), Thorne is celebrated for his groundbreaking work in the discovery of gravitational waves, which provided an unprecedented glimpse into the violent, energetic events surrounding black holes and neutron stars.

A pioneer in his field, Thorne is best known for coining the phrase “warped side of the universe” during his time at Caltech—a reflection of his focus on the extreme phenomena of space-time. He played a key role in the conception and development of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), a collaboration between Caltech and MIT, which has been instrumental in detecting gravitational waves, with funding from the National Science Foundation.

Thorne’s work has earned him numerous prestigious accolades, including election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He has shared several major awards, including the Kavli Prize, Shaw Prize, Gruber Prize in Cosmology, the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, and, notably, the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics. Thorne received this honor alongside colleagues Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, and others for their groundbreaking contributions to the detection of gravitational waves.

Source: Caltech