Dr. Suvrat Raju has been awarded the prestigious 2019 ICTP Prize. He shares the prize with Dr. Basudeb Dasgupta from TIFR (Mumbai). Dr. Raju is a theoretical physicist working in the field of string theory and quantum aspects of gravity.
Dr. Suvrat Raju is a physicist working in the field of string theory and quantum aspects of gravity. Photograph © ICTS-TIFR
The ICTP Prize is given annually by The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), in Italy, to recognize outstanding contributions made by physicists under 40 years of age, from developing countries. Each year, the ICTP Prize is given in memory of an eminent scientist who contributed to the field in which the prize has been awarded, and this year’s prize commemorates Dr. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics.
“I am very honored by this recognition. Science is always a collective effort and the work that this prize recognizes was done in collaboration with colleagues both in India and elsewhere, and I would like to acknowledge their contributions. I would also like to thank ICTS for providing a nurturing and intellectually vibrant atmosphere that has allowed me to make progress in research”, says Dr. Raju in response to the announcement of the prize.
The ICTP Prize was awarded to Dr. Raju in recognition of his work on black holes and holography. Dr. Raju’s work has helped to clarify how quantum information can be stored and retrieved from black holes and this has shed light on a long-standing puzzle in theoretical physics called the ‘information paradox’. “This area, at the interface of quantum information and quantum gravity, is poised at an exciting juncture, and hopefully will see exciting progress in the near future”, adds Dr. Raju.
Dr. Raju’s work makes use of a technique to understand quantum gravity called ‘holography’ and the prize furthermore recognizes his broader contributions to this field of research.
"Suvrat has done pioneering work in improving our understanding of some deep puzzles regarding the quantum nature of black hole interiors. This work has had a global impact in the subject, and it is fitting that this should be recognized through this prestigious honor of the ICTP”, says Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar, Center Director, ICTS-TIFR.
Past ICTP Prize winners include physicists from China, Argentina, Brazil, Iran, and India. ICTS faculty members Prof. Spenta Wadia, Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar and Prof. Abhishek Dhar, are among the previous recipients of this prize.
The award will be presented to Dr. Raju in a ceremony to be held in Trieste, Italy, in April 2020.