Know all about IIT Kanpur's alumni Deepak Dhar, first Indian to bag the Boltzmann Medal

Bringing pride to the nation, stalwart Indian Physicist and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune's Emeritus Professor Deepak Dhar has been honoured with the prestigious Boltzmann Medal for his work in the field of statistical physics. The honour has been conferred to Prof. Deepak Dhar and a renowned American scientist, John Hopfield. The announcement was made after the physicist received a letter from the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), the organisation that conducts and confers talented statistical physicists with the prestigious Boltzmann Award.

Prof. Deepak Dhar to be awarded in the 28th STATPHYS Conference

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Notably, the C3 Commission on Statistical Physics of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) confers the Boltzmann Medal every three years at the Statphys Conference. Named after the celebrated physicist, Ludwig Boltzmann, this award includes a gilded medal to honour extraordinary achievements in statistical physics. This year, the official ceremony will be held in Tokyo from August 8 to August 12.

Acknowledging the work of Prof Dhar, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, K Vijay Raghavan said, "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."

A distinguished professor at TIFR & IISER

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A graduate of the University of Allahabad (1970), Deepak completed his master's in physics from IIT Kanpur in 1972 before moving to the United States for his doctoral studies. Dhar started his career as a research fellow at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in 1978 and proceeded to become a full-time professor. Even after his retirement, Deepak has continued his association with the institute as a distinguished professor.

From being an elected fellow of all the major Indian Science academies to getting selected for the prestigious Boltzmann award, India's Prof. Deepak Dhar is known for his work in the field of statistical physics and stochastic processes. He was elected to the Indian Academy of Sciences in 1990, the Indian National Science Academy in 1995 and the National Academy of Sciences, India in 1996 and The World Academy of Sciences in 2006.

Notably, this is not the first time that Prof Dhar has been honoured with an award for his contribution to the field of statistical physicist. In 1991, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) awarded him the 'Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize' for Science and Technology and later, in 2001, INSA honoured him with the Satyendranath Bose Medal. At present Prof. Deepak Dhar continues to enrich the field of physics with his great contribution to the scientific community.

-with inputs from IANS.