Physicist Deepak Dhar first Indian to be conferred with Boltzmann Medal

Prof Deepak Dhar to be conferred with Boltzmann Medal for his contribution in the field of statistical physics

February 25, 2022

Prof Deepak Dhar shares the prize with American scientist John Hopfield

Indian physicist and Emeritus Professor at the Department of Physics, IISER, Pune, Prof Deepak Dhar will be conferred the prestigious Boltzmann Medal for his contribution in the field of statistical physics. Prof Dhar shares the prize with John Hopfield, an American scientist.

Prof Dhar is well-known for his research on statistical physics and stochastic processes. He is also an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies – Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, and National Academy of Sciences, India – as well as of The World Academy of Sciences.

IISER, Pune announced the award on its Twitter handle and Facebook page late on Thursday evening after Prof Dhar received a letter from the IUPAP.

It tweeted, “We are so proud to tell that Prof. Deepak Dhar (Emeritus Professor) from our Department has been chosen for the Boltzmann Medal! The Boltzmann Medal is awarded once every three years by the Commission on Statistical Physics of the @IUPAP_physics. Many congratulations Deepak!”

We are so proud to tell that Prof. Deepak Dhar (Emeritus Professor) from our Department has been chosen for the Boltzmann Medal! The Boltzmann Medal is awarded once every three years by the Commission on Statistical Physics of the @IUPAP_physics. Many congratulations Deepak! pic.twitter.com/ilTi71EBLA

— IISER Pune Physics (@IiserPphysics) February 24, 2022

Prof Dhar said, “The award was instituted in 1975 or so. We have had people such as Satyendra Nath Bose… one should not ignore the great work that they have done in this field.”

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has awarded him the ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize‘ for Science and Technology for his contributions to physical sciences in 1991.

Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, K Vijay Raghavan tweeted: “Professor Dhar is one of the brightest physicists around. He shares the prize with John Hopfield, of whom the same can be said. From Allahabad University, IIT Kanpur, California University, and then TIFR, he has left a great imprint in each place.”

Prof Dhar is a science graduate from the University of Allahabad (1970) and has a master’s degree in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. In 1978, he returned to India after his doctoral studies in the US and started his career at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) as a research fellow. Over the years he became a full professor.

Post-retirement, he continues his association with TIFR as a distinguished professor of the institution. He also serves as a distinguished visiting faculty at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune.

The Boltzmann Medal is given every three years by the C3 Commission on Statistical Physics of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) at the Statphys Conference.

The Award, comprising a gilded medal, honours outstanding achievements in statistical physics. The award will be given during Statphys 28 to be held in Tokyo from August 8 to 12.

[With Inputs from IANS]

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