New Delhi: Indian physicist Ashoke Sen has been awarded the 2026 Oskar Klein Medal, becoming the first Indian physicist to receive the honour.
Sen, an ICTS-Infosys Madhava Chair professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS)-Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bengaluru, is widely regarded as an architect of modern string theory.
The theory postulates that the elementary constituents of matter are tiny one-dimensional, string-like objects instead of point particles. It thus tries to put forth a unifying description for matter and forces between them.
Established in 1988 and named after the Swedish theoretical physicist Oskar Klein, the medal is awarded annually by Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India congratulates Dr. Ashoke Sen, @ictstifr-Infosys Madhava Chair Professor, Bengaluru, on receiving the Oskar Klein Medal for 2026. He is the first Indian physicist to receive this prestigious honour.
Prof. Sen is globally recognised for his pioneering contributions to string theory, particularly his work on S-duality, the precision counting of black hole entropy and string field theory. His research has played a significant role in advancing modern string theory and deepening our understanding of fundamental physics.
Jointly awarded by @Stockholm_Uni and the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Oskar Klein Medal recognises distinguished contributions to physics. This recognition adds to Prof. Sen’s distinguished achievements, which include the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2012), the Dirac Medal (2014), the Padma Shri (2001) and the Padma Bhushan (2013).
— Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to the GoI (@PrinSciAdvOff) October 23, 2026
Honouring the memory of Klein, the organising committee of the Oskar Klein Memorial Lectures every year invites a distinguished researcher to give a memorial lecture and to receive the Klein medal.
Sen gave the lecture, titled ‘Gravity from strings and strings from gravity’, October 22 at the AlbaNova University Centre in Stockholm.
The talk described how string theory leads to a consistent quantum theory of gravity and addresses outstanding puzzles involving quantum theory of black holes.
Contributions of the Padma Shri (2001) and Padma Bhushan (2013) recipient have helped shape the research field through a series of influential theoretical breakthroughs, including work recognised by the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in 2012, which helped establish the idea that all string theories represent different limits of the same underlying theory.
Past recipients of the Oskar Klein Medal include Kip Thorne in 2016, Peter Higgs in 2009, Stephen Hawking in 2003, and Nobel Prize recipients Hans E. Bethe in 1990, Steven Weinberg in 1989 and Chen Ning Yang in 1988.
Prof. Sen, an ICTS-Infosys Madhava Chair Professor, is internationally recognised for his pioneering work on S-duality, the precision counting of black-hole entropy and string field theory, all of which have helped shape modern string theory, the ICTS said in its announcement.
