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Accomplishments in the field of science were recently celebrated as Professor Deepak Dhar became the first Indian to be a co-recipient of the distinguished Boltzmann Medal for 2022. The award was shared with American scientist, John Hopfield. This accolade is due to be conferred upon the two esteemed scientists at the StatPhys28 conference, scheduled to take place in Tokyo in August 2022.
Decoding the Boltzmann Medal
The Boltzmann Medal is a prestigious award given triennially by the Commission on Statistical Physics of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) during the Statphys Conference. Established in Brussels in 1922, initially with only 13 member countries, IUPAP held its first General Assembly in Paris in 1923. Since then, it has grown significantly and now includes 60 country members, with India joining in 1948. The only international physics organization run by physicists, IUPAP’s awards include medals and honours recognizing significant contributions to Statistical Physics.
Named after Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann, an Austrian physicist and philosopher, the award presents recipients with a gilded Boltzmann medal emblazoned with Boltzmann’s inscription. Initiated in 1975, this award has a unique condition that it can only be bestowed once on an individual who has not previously won the Nobel prize, and the first recipient was K.G. Wilson, a Nobel laureate of 1982.
Introducing Professor Deepak Dhar
Born in 1951, Professor Deepak Dhar is a respected figure in the world of science. His academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Science from the University of Allahabad in 1970, followed by a Masters in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1972. Encouraged to further his studies, he travelled to the US for his PhD.
In 1978, he joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) as a research fellow. During his tenure at TIFR, he rose through the ranks to become a full-time professor before retiring in 2016. Today, he continues to contribute to the academic community as a visiting faculty member at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune (IISER).
The Reason Behind the Medal
The award has been conferred on Professor Dhar recognising his outstanding contributions to statistical physics. His profound work includes universal long-time relaxation in disordered magnetic systems, providing exact solutions in percolation and cluster counting problems, and defining the spectral dimension of fractals.
A Final Note: Orange and Pulitzer Prizes
For the sake of clarity, some common misconceptions must be addressed. The Orange Prize is indeed awarded to a published work of fiction in English written by a woman. However, the Pulitzer Prize is not awarded by the Commonwealth Foundation to a citizen of any Commonwealth country for any literary work in English. It is actually an American award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition. Thus, statement one is correct, while statement two is not.