Indian Physicist Deepak Dhar Wins 2026 Dirac Medal

Indian physicist Deepak Dhar was named a recipient of the 2026 Dirac Medal on 8 August 2026 by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. He shared the award with Bernard Derrida of France, Marc Mézard of Italy, and Haim Sompolinsky of Israel and the United States.

Dirac Medal

The Dirac Medal was established in 1985 by the ICTP and is awarded annually on 8 August, the birth anniversary of theoretical physicist Paul Dirac. The medal carries a prize of US$5,000 and is not awarded to past Nobel Laureates, Fields Medalists, or Wolf Prize winners.

Statistical Mechanics

Statistical mechanics is a branch of physics that uses probability theory to study systems with many particles. It covers equilibrium and non-equilibrium states, phase transitions, and collective behaviour in matter.

Deepak Dhar’s Academic and Research Profile

Deepak Dhar graduated from the University of Allahabad in 1970, completed an MSc at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1972, and earned a PhD from the California Institute of Technology in 1978. He worked as a teaching assistant to Richard Feynman at Caltech and is known for research on the sandpile model.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Dirac Medal is associated with the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy.
• Paul Dirac was a British theoretical physicist and one of the founders of quantum mechanics.
• The sandpile model is used in the study of self-organised criticality in complex systems.
• Deepak Dhar became the first Indian to receive the Boltzmann Medal in 2022.

Deepak Dhar received the Padma Bhushan in 2023, which is India’s third-highest civilian award. The 2026 Dirac Medal citation covered contributions to equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, optimisation, theoretical neuroscience, and artificial intelligence.