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Image credit: IISER Pune

Prof. Deepak Dhar from the Indian Institute of Science and Education Research, Pune and Prof. John J. Hopfield of Princeton University, USA, have been selected for the Boltzmann Medal by the Commission on Statistical Physics (C3) of International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) this year. The Boltzmann Medal is being considered the highest honour in the field of statistical physics. Prof. Deepak Dhar is the first Indian scientist to receive this honour. This year, the Commission on Statistical Physics at the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics decided to recognise the contributions of the duo and the medals will be presented to them at the upcoming StatPhys28 Conference to be held in Tokyo in August 2023.

IUPAP started this award in 1975 and for the first time, it was awarded to K.G. Wilson who became a Nobel Laureate later in 1982. The Boltzmann Medal is given to the researchers once in every three years who have obtained new results concerning statistical mechanics. The award is in memory of the great pioneer of statistical mechanics Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906). There are several Nobel Laureates who are awarded this prestigious prize. 

Prof Deepak Dhar is awarded the Boltzmann Medal for his seminal contributions to several areas of statistical physics, including exact solutions of self-organised criticality models, interfacial growth, universal long-time relaxation in disordered magnetic systems, exact solutions in percolation and cluster counting problems and definition of the spectral dimension of fractals.

Prof. Dhar did his PhD from California Institute of Technology in 1978 and came back to India to join the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. He is currently a distinguished visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Science and Education Research, Pune, since the year 2016. He was also conferred the “Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize”. He is the fellow of all three major science academies of India and also a TWAS fellow.