Overview
- The International Centre for Theoretical Physics has named Deepak Dhar one of four recipients of the 2026 Dirac Medal for contributions to statistical mechanics.
- Dhar developed methods such as the ‘burning algorithm’ linked to sandpile models, which show how simple local rules can produce rare large events in complex systems.
- He trained at Allahabad University and IIT Kanpur, took a Richard Feynman fellowship and a PhD at Caltech, and then returned to India to hold long-term posts at TIFR, IISER Pune, and ICTS Bengaluru.
- The Dirac Medal adds to a run of recent honours for Dhar, including the Boltzmann Medal in 2022 — when he became the first Indian winner — and the Padma Bhushan in 2023.
- The Dirac Medal is one of theoretical physics’ most prestigious prizes and this award boosts the global visibility of Indian theoretical physics while underscoring the wider relevance of statistical mechanics to fields from neuroscience to network science.