wadia 
ictsresin
Spenta Wadia’s main research interests are in quantum field theory, statistical mechanics, string theory and quantum gravity. There is considerable overlap of these areas in light of the gauge-gravity duality of string theory. His other scientific interests are in complex systems including cross-disciplinary biology.
Doctor of Philosophy, City University of New York, 1978; mentor: Bunji Sakita
Master of Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, 1973
Bachelor of Science, St. Xavier’s College, University of Bombay, 1971
KITP Simons Distinguished Visiting Scientist, University of California at
Santa Barbara, USA, 2018-2019
TWAS (The World Academy of Sciences, Trieste, Italy) Physics Prize, 2004
Steven Weinberg Prize of ICTP
(International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy) 1995
J. C. Bose National Fellow, Govt of India 2006-2011; 2011-16
Distinguished Alumnus, St. Xavier’s College, Bombay University, 2009
TIFR Alumni Association Excellence
Award, 2016
The Indian National Science Academy, Delhi
The National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad
The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Trieste, Italy
New York Academy of Sciences, New York, USA
Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, USA, 1990-92
Scientific Associate, Theory Division, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, 1996-97
Scientific Associate, Theory Division, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, 2003-04
Aug. 2017 – : Infosys Homi Bhabha Chair Professor, ICTS-TIFR, Bengaluru, India
Aug. 2015 – : Emeritus Distinguished Professor, ICTS-TIFR, Bengaluru, India
Oct. 2007 – July 2015: Founding Director, ICTS-TIFR, Bengaluru, India
Aug. 2008 – July 2015: Distinguished Professor, TIFR, Mumbai, India
2007 - 2009: Chair, Department of Theoretical Physics, TIFR, Mumbai, India
Oct. 1982 – July 2015: Member of Natural Sciences Faculty, TIFR, Mumbai, India
Aug. 1980 – May 1982: Staff Scientist, University of Chicago, USA
Aug. 1978 – July 1980: Postdoctoral fellow, Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, USA; mentors: Yoichiro Nambu and
Leo Kadanoff
- A Brief History of a Science Initiative in India - ICTS-TIFR| Alladi Ramakrishnan Centenary Conference, IMSc Chennai| 16 December 2023| PDF
- Black Holes, Quantum Mechanics & Space-time| Abdus Salam Memorial Lecture| Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi| 10 March 2023| PDF
- The Journey of Time| TDU, Bengaluru | 20 February 2023 | PDF
- Glimpses of Theoretical Physics at TIFR: 1982-2022| Landmarks@TIFR| TIFR, Mumbai | 17-18 December 2022 | PDF
- A Tour of Space-Time Physics: Newton, Einstein, Hawking and Beyond | Popli Memorial Lectures | St. Stephen's College | 10-12 March 2022 | PDF
- Black Holes, Information Puzzle and Quantum Entanglement | Indian Academy of Sciences Special Lecture | 13 November 2021 | PDF
- Curiosity Driven Pure and Applied Research | BeST Cluster Meeting for Social Impact | 19 August 2021 | PDF
- Quantization and Topological Aspects of Renormalization Group Flows in 2-dim Quantum Field Theory | Infosys Chandrasekharan Random Geometry Colloquium | Dedicated to the Memory of Miguel Angel Virasoro (1940-2021) | 26 July 2021 | PDF
- National Research Foundation of India | India’s National Education Policy (HE) Seminar | University College London | 29 June 2021 | PDF
- Memories of Govind Swarup, the pioneer of radio astronomy in India | 09 September 2020 | PDF | Video
- Black holes: Beacons in our search for a quantum theory of space-time | Diamond Jubilee Memorial Lecture | Dayal Bagh Educational Institute | 29 February 2020 | PDF
- Black holes: beacons in our search for a quantum theory of space-time | India Science Festival, IISER Pune | 11-12 January 2020 | PDF
- Why do we need a Quantum Theory of Gravity? | IISER Thiruvananthapuram | 20 October 2019 | PDF
- Why do we need a Quantum Theory of Gravity? | Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi | 17 October 2019 | PDF
- Why do we need a Quantum Theory of Gravity? | BHU, Varanasi | 8 March 2019 | PDF
- Space-time and Gravity: From Newton to Hawking and Beyond | ICTS Einstein Lecture | Assam University, Silchar | 08 October 2018 | PDF
- Curiosity Driven Research, India Philanthropy Initiative Meeting | ICTS-TIFR | 18 August 2018 | PDF
- Introducing the ICTS Kosambi Lectures and D. D. Kosambi | ICTS-TIFR, Bengaluru | 24 May 2018 | PDF | Video
- Banquet speech on the occasion of ICTS at Ten: The Road ICTS Travelled | ICTS-TIFR, Bengaluru | 5 January 2018 | PDF | Video
- The End of Space-time and Beyond | ICTS Einstein Lecture at Christ University, Bengaluru | 2 December 2016 | PDF | Video
- Prelude to the Film on Dr Homi Bhabha | India International Centre, Delhi | 20 May 2016 | PDF
- 100 Years of General Relativity: Albert Einstein's Revolution in Physics | Public Lecture at Ruia College, Mumbai | 30 November 2015 | PDF | Video
- String Theory and the Hidden Structure of Space-time | TEDx talk at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai | 8 February 2015 | PDF | Video
- The End of Space‐Time and Beyond | Foundation Day, IIT Bombay | 10 March 2014 | PDF
- Higgs Discovery and Particle Physics | LVPEI Hyderabad | 31 August 2012 | PDF
- Development of Research in India: Broad Framework | Planning Commission - British Council, Pune | 24 February 2012 | PDF
- The Maldacena Duality Conjecture and Applications | Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Lecture, IIT Kanpur | 30 January 2010 | PDF
- Colloquium on 'Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking' (Nambu Nobel Prize) | PDF
- Indian Express-A new national foundation and the ease of doing research | Indian Express | 28 July 2023
- A Brief History of an Indian Initiative: ICTS-TIFR | Spenta R. Wadia | World Scientific 2022
- Republic's Children: Recalling aspirations for the nation | The Economic Times | 24 February 2020
- The Science of Murray Gell-Mann | Sanjay Jain and Spenta R. Wadia | 16 September 2019
- The Science and Legacy of Richard Phillips Feynman | Avinash Dhar, Apoorva D. Patel, Spenta R. Wadia | 18 October 2018
- The Scientific Legacy of Stephen Hawking (1942—2018) | ICTS Newsletter, 2018 (Volume 4, Issue 1, Page 11)
- Seeing the universe in a new light | Current Science, Volume 110 - Issue 07 | 10 April 2016
- Gravitational waves: Beginning of a turning point in astronomy | The Indian Express | 12 February 2016
- Yoichiro Nambu: breaking the symmetry | CERN Courier | 13 November 2015
- Homi Jehangir Bhabha and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research | Current Science, Volume 96 - Issue 05 | 10 March 2009
- String theory: a framework for quantum gravity and various applications | Current Science, Volume 95 - Issue 09 | 10 November 2008
- Bunji Sakita | Physics Today, Volume 56 - Issue 6 | June 2003
- Special section: Superstrings - A quest for a unified theory | Current Science, Volume 81 - Issue 12 (On page 1507 there is a preface to the collection) | 25 December 2001
- String theory: Hidden soul of harmony towards a unified theory | The Hindu | 4 January 2001
- Black holes: A Window into a new theory of space-time | Based on a talk given at the Commemorative Symposium on S. Chandrasekhar, at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, India| May 1997
- A brief note on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons: need to redefine agenda | Current Science, Volume 68 - Issue 9 | 10 May 1995
- Vice-President, Indian National Science Academy (2022-24)
- Chair, Advisory Board, Bengaluru S&T (BeST) Cluster
- Member, Committee for Mega Sciences Vision 2035, Govt of India
- Member, Mega Sciences Theme Group for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020, Govt of India
- Member, American Physical Society (APS) Committee on International Scientific Affairs, 2020-2022
- Member, International Science Council of ICTP-AP, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) 2018-
- Member, International Advisory Committee (IAC) of the International Institute of Physics (IIP) in Natal, Brazil, 2017-
- Member, Science Council of Asia Pacific Centre for Theoretical Physics (APCTP), S. Korea, 2010-2018
- Member, Physical Sciences Jury Panel, Infosys Science Foundation Prize for Physical Sciences, 2015- 2017
- Chair, Sectional Committee for Physics, Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, 2017-2019
- Organiser ”Strings 2015” at ICTS-TIFR, Bengaluru
- PI for Simons Foundation Institutional Grant to ICTS, ”Science without Boundaries”, 2015-2020
- AirBus Corporate Foundation Teaching and Research Chair: Mathematics of Complex Systems, at ICTS-TIFR, 2013-2016
- Editor, Asian Journal of Mathematics, International Press, Boston, 2015-
- Editorial Committee, Asia Pacific Physics Newsletter (APPN), World Scientific, 2016-
- Member Advisory Board, Asia Pacific Mathematics Newsletter, World Scientific, 2010-
- Member, Program Advisory Committee, IAS Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 2009-2015
- Member, Commission on Mathematical Physics (C-18), International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), 1997-1999 and 1999-2002
- Council Service, Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, 2013-2015
- Editor, European Journal of Physics C, 2012-2015
- Organiser “Strings 2001” at TIFR-Mumbai
