Two renowned mathematicians and a theoretical physicist, with close ties to ICTS, were among the recipients of the Padma Awards this year. ICTS International Advisory Board member S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan, received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour. Former ICTS Program Committee member Deepak Dhar received the Padma Bhushan while ICTS senior faculty associate Sujatha Ramdorai was awarded the Padma Shri.
Prof. Varadhan, currently the Frank J. Gould professor of science and a professor of mathematics at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, has been closely associated with ICTS since its inception. Prof. Varadhan is also the recipient of the 2007 Abel Prize for his fundamental contributions to probability theory and in particular for creating a unified theory of large deviations. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2008 and the National Medal of Science, United States, in 2010.
Prof. Dhar, formerly a distinguished professor at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, is currently associated with the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune. He is the first ever Indian to receive the prestigious Boltzmann Prize in 2022, for exceptional contributions in statistical physics. He is also a winner of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (1991), the INSA S.N. Bose Medal (2001) and the TWAS Prize (2002).
Prof. Ramdorai, also formerly at TIFR, Mumbai, is a professor of mathematics and Canada Research Chair at University of British Columbia, Canada. She is also the recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatangar Prize (2004) and the ICTP Ramanujan Prize (2006).
S.R. Srinivasa Varadhan
Deepak Dhar
Sujatha Ramdorai