Ashoke Sen Wins 2026 Oskar Klein Medal, First Indian Physicist Honored

Ashoke Sen, holding the ICTS-Infosys Madhava Chair at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences-Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bengaluru, has become the first Indian physicist to be awarded the Oskar Klein Medal for 2026. The medal, established in 1988 and administered jointly by Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, celebrates outstanding contributions to theoretical physics.

In his award lecture at the AlbaNova University Centre in Stockholm, Sen explained how string theory can provide a consistent quantum description of gravity and address puzzles surrounding black-hole quantum mechanics. His career includes seminal work on S-duality, black-hole entropy counting, and string field theory, as well as a 2012 Breakthrough Prize and the Indian civilian honours Padma Shri (2001) and Padma Bhushan (2013).

Past laureates of the medal include Kip Thorne, Peter Higgs, Stephen Hawking and several Nobel laureates. The recognition highlights India's growing influence in fundamental physics research.