Indian physicist Deepak Dhar wins prestigious 2026 Dirac Medal
What's the story
Indian theoretical physicist Deepak Dhar has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Dirac Medal by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). The award recognizes his significant contributions to statistical mechanics, a branch of physics that deals with large systems and their collective behavior. Dhar is an INSA Distinguished Professor and is known for his research on statistical physics and stochastic processes.
Award rationale
Notable contributions of Dhar
The ICTP awarded the medal to Dhar for his work on how simple interactions among individual components of a system can lead to complex behavior in larger systems.
One of his most notable contributions is the sandpile model, which illustrates how small changes can lead to major events in different kinds of complex systems like earthquakes, traffic jams, and financial market fluctuations.
Award significance
About ICTP Dirac Medal
The ICTP Dirac Medal was first awarded in 1985 to honor British physicist P.A.M. Dirac, a leading figure of the 20th century.
The award is given to scientists who have made significant contributions to theoretical physics.
Notable past recipients include Stephen Hawking, making it a highly coveted honor in the field of physics.
Career highlights
Other achievements of Dhar
Dhar earned his PhD from the California Institute of Technology and spent several years at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai.
He joined the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune in 2016.
Since 2024, he has been an INSA Distinguished Professor at TIFR's International Centre for Theoretical Sciences.
His accolades include Padma Bhushan in 2023, the Boltzmann Medal in 2022, which he shared with John Hopfield, and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1991.