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News: Four physicists, including Indian physicist Deepak Dhar, have been awarded the Dirac Medal 2026 for contributions to statistical mechanics and theoretical physics.
About Dirac Medal 2026
- Origin: The Dirac Medal was first awarded in 1985 by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP).
- Naming: It is named after P.A.M. Dirac, one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century.
- Frequency: The Medal is awarded annually on August 8.
- Eligibility: It is awarded to scientists who have made significant contributions to theoretical physics.
- The Medal is not awarded to Nobel Laureates, Fields Medallists, or Wolf Foundation Prize winners.
Recipients of Dirac Medal 2026
- The 2026 Dirac Medal was awarded to four physicists –
- Deepak Dhar:
- Country: He is from Uttar Pradesh, India.
- Affiliation: He is an Indian National Science Academy (INSA) distinguished professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, in Bengaluru.
- Contribution: He made pioneering contributions to statistical physics, especially through his exact solution of the Abelian sandpile model.
- His work showed how simple interactions can produce complex behaviour and how small events can sometimes trigger large changes in a system.
- His research has also been used to understand phenomena such as earthquakes, traffic jams and fluctuations in financial markets.
- Other Achievements: In 2022, he became the first Indian to receive the Boltzmann Medal.
- He also received the Padma Bhushan in 2023 and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1991.
- Bernard Derrida: He made important contributions to statistical mechanics, spin glasses and non-equilibrium physics.
- His Random Energy Model showed how systems with many possible configurations can sometimes be dominated by a small number of favourable configurations.
- His work has also contributed to neural networks, optimisation and the study of driven systems.
- Marc Mézard: He made major contributions to the study of disordered systems and spin glasses.
- He helped develop the cavity methodwith Giorgio Parisi and Miguel Virasoro.
- He later applied these ideas to computer science, optimisation, information processing and neural networks.
- His recent work also focuses on machine learning, deep networks and generative models.
- Haim Sompolinsky: He pioneered the use of statistical physics to study neural circuits, memory and brain function.
- He helped establish theoretical and computational neuroscience by applying statistical mechanics to neural networks, including the Hopfield model.
- His later work examined biological and artificial networks, neural representations and deep networks.
About International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
- ICTP is an international research institute working in the fields of physical and mathematical sciences.
- Established: It was established in 1964.
- Framework: It functions under a tripartite agreement involving the Italian Government, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
- Status: ICTP is a UNESCO Category 1 Institute.
- Location: It is located in Trieste, Italy.
