Ashoke Sen Receives 2026 Oskar Klein Medal

Physicist Ashoke Sen received the 2026 Oskar Klein Medal on 22 October 2026. He is the first Indian physicist to receive the medal, which is awarded annually by Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

String theory and Sen’s contributions

String theory is a theoretical framework in which fundamental objects are modelled as one-dimensional strings; their vibrational states correspond to different particles. Sen’s contributions include work on S-duality, black hole entropy and string field theory. S-duality relates descriptions of a theory at strong coupling to descriptions at weak coupling. In string theory, black hole entropy can be studied by counting the microscopic states associated with a black hole. String field theory describes string dynamics and interactions using fields.

Oskar Klein Medal and memorial lecture

The medal is named after Swedish theoretical physicist Oskar Klein. On 22 October 2026, Sen delivered the 2026 Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture at Stockholm University’s AlbaNova Centre. Its title was “Gravity from Strings and Strings from Gravity”.

Sen’s academic position and honours

Sen is the ICTS-Infosys Madhava Chair Professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) in Bengaluru. His work in string theory spans more than four decades. He received the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2012 and the Dirac Medal in 2014. The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India congratulated him on 24 October 2026.

Important Facts for Exams

• Oskar Klein was a Swedish theoretical physicist, and the Oskar Klein Medal bears his name.
• The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is based in Stockholm, Sweden.
• The Bekenstein–Hawking formula relates black hole entropy to the area of its event horizon.
• The Dirac Medal is named after theoretical physicist Paul Dirac.

Sen received the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2012 and the Dirac Medal in 2014. His 2026 Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture was delivered at the AlbaNova Centre in Stockholm.