Indian Physicist Deepak Dhar Wins Prestigious 2026 Dirac Medal
Instituted in 1985, the Dirac Medal is considered one of the highest honours in physics
Indian theoretical physicist Deepak Dhar, an INSA Distinguished Professor and one of the country's most respected minds in the field, has been awarded the 2026 Dirac Medal by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), placing him among an elite group of scientists honoured for their contributions to theoretical physics.
Instituted in 1985, the Dirac Medal is considered one of the highest honours in physics and has over the decades been associated with some of the biggest names in the discipline, including Stephen Hawking. Dhar is among four physicists selected this year for their significant contributions to statistical mechanics.
Dhar was born in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. He studied at Allahabad University before completing his MSc at IIT Kanpur. He went on to join the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as a Richard Feynman Fellow, working as Feynman's teaching assistant, and earned his PhD in 1978.
After completing his doctorate, Dhar returned to India and joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai. He later served at IISER Pune and has long been associated with the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) in Bengaluru.
The Dirac Medal adds to a distinguished list of honours for Dhar. In 2022, he became the first Indian to receive the Boltzmann Medal, and in 2023 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour.
