Who is Ashoke Sen? Indian physicist honoured with 2026 Oskar Klein Medal for pioneering work on string theory

Indian theoretical physicist Ashoke Sen has been honored with the prestigious Oskar Klein medal, one of the highest accolades in the field of physics. The award, bestowed annually since 1988 by Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, was presented by the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) in Bengaluru. This marks the first time an Indian has been awarded this prestigious medal.

Sen's groundbreaking work on string theory, which seeks to resolve the discrepancies between quantum theory and gravitation, has earned him international recognition. His contributions to S-duality, precision counting of black hole entropy, and string field theory have significantly shaped modern string theory. As a professor at ICTS, Sen received this honor for his pioneering research in the field.

During the award ceremony, Sen delivered a lecture titled 'Gravity from Strings and Strings from Gravity' at Stockholm University. The Oskar Klein medal, named after the Swedish physicist who proposed the Klein-Gordon equation, is another testament to Sen's significant contributions to the world of physics.

Indian scientists have been the recipients of top physics honors in recent years. Deepak Dhar, a theoretical physicist, was awarded the Dirac medal earlier this year, becoming the second Indian to win this prize. Indian-origin American physicist Jainendra Jain, who holds affiliations with multiple institutions in India, was one of the winners of the Wolf Prize last year. These awards, considered prestigious below the Nobel Prize, demonstrate the growing prominence of Indian physicists in the global scientific community.