Deepak Dhar, an INSA Distinguished Professor and one of India's leading theoretical physicists, has been awarded the 2026 Dirac Medal by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), placing him among an elite group of scientists recognised for their contributions to theoretical physics.
The Dirac Medal is considered one of the most prestigious honours in the field of physics. Instituted in 1985, the Dirac Medal has been conferred over the years to some of the world's most prominent theoretical physicists, including renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking.
The four winners are:
Professor Dhar is among four physicists selected for the 2026 Dirac Medal for their contributions to statistical mechanics.
- Bernard Derrida, Honorary Professor, Collège de France, France
- Deepak Dhar, INSA Distinguished Professor, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India
- Marc Mézard, Professor of Theoretical Physics, Bocconi University, Italy
- Haim Sompolinsky, Professor of Neuroscience and of Physics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and Visiting Professor, Harvard University, USA
Deepak Dhar's contributions to statistical mechanics
The 2026 Dirac Medal honours physicists whose work has made significant contributions to the understanding of statistical mechanics, a branch of physics that examines the collective behaviour of systems comprising a large number of particles.
According to ICTP, Deepak Dhar showed how simple interactions can lead to complex and sometimes unpredictable behaviour in large systems. Through his pioneering work on the sandpile model, for example, he described a familiar phenomenon: as grains are added to a sandpile, most result in no change or only small avalanches, while occasionally a single grain can cause a much larger collapse. The theory shows that the sandpile, like many other complex systems, spontaneously places itself in a critical regime where small effects can sometimes trigger large abrupt events and has been used to model systems as apparently different as earthquakes, traffic jams and fluctuations in financial markets.
Dhar has long been associated with the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences in Bengaluru and has spent decades researching complex physical systems.
About Deepak Dhar
Prof. Deepak Dhar is a distinguished Indian theoretical physicist known for his work in statistical physics and stochastic processes. He is a Distinguished Professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bengaluru.
Born in 1951 in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Dhar completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Allahabad in 1970 and earned a master's degree in physics from IIT Kanpur in 1972. He moved to the US for doctoral studies at the California Institute of Technology and received his PhD in 1978.
He returned to India the same year and joined TIFR as a research fellow, eventually becoming a professor. After retirement, he continued his association with TIFR as a distinguished professor. He also served as distinguished visiting faculty at IISER Pune from 2016 to 2024.
Dhar has held several academic and editorial positions and has served on the editorial boards of leading journals in statistical physics. His research over several decades has contributed significantly to the understanding of complex physical systems.
Achievements and honors
- Recipient of Padma Bhushan, Govt of India, 2023.
- Boltzmann Medal in Physics,2022
- Fellow, JC. Bose National, Science and Engineering Research Board, 2007.
- Fellow, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), 2006.
- Satyendranath Bose Medal, INSA, 2001
- Third World Academy of Sciences Prize, 2002
- Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, 1999
- J. Robert Schrieffer Prize, The International Centre for Theoretical Physics, 1993
- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1991.
- Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences, 1990.
- Young Scientist Medal, the Indian National Science Academy, 1983
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