Indian theoretical physicist Professor Ashoke Sen has achieved a major milestone in the global scientific community by becoming the first Indian to receive the prestigious Oskar Klein Medal for 2026. The announcement was made by the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) on October 22, 2026, recognising his influential contributions to modern theoretical physics.
Professor Sen is an ICTS-Infosys Madhava Chair Professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Bengaluru. He is internationally known for his research on string theory, a theoretical framework that seeks to explain the fundamental nature of matter and the forces governing the universe.
His research has made significant contributions to three important areas: S-duality, the precise calculation of black hole entropy, and string field theory. These developments have helped advance modern string theory and deepen scientific understanding of the relationship between gravity, quantum physics and black holes.
As part of the recognition, Professor Sen delivered the 2026 Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture, titled “Gravity from Strings and Strings from Gravity,” at Stockholm University's AlbaNova Centre in Sweden on October 22. The lecture explored connections between string theory and gravity, two important areas of contemporary theoretical physics.