Harish-Chandra Research Institute

Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad

HRI Logo
Established 1965[1]
Director Prof. Jayanta Kumar Bhattacharjee[2][3]
Academic staff
 30+[1]
Administrative staff
 30+
50[1]
Other students
 25
Location Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Campus 66 acres
Affiliations Homi Bhabha National Institute
Website www.hri.res.in

The Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI) is an institution dedicated to research in Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh in India.[4] Established in 1965, HRI offers a doctoral program in affiliation with the Homi Bhabha National Institute.

HRI has a residential campus in Jhusi town near Allahabad on the banks of the River Ganges. The institute has over 30 faculty, 50 doctoral students and 25 post-doctoral visiting research fellows and scientists. HRI is funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) of the Government of India.

History

The institute was founded as the Mehta Research Institute in 1965, with an endowment from the B.S. Mehta Trust, Calcutta. The institute was initially managed by Prof. Badri Nath Prasad and following his death in January 1966 by Prof. S.R. Sinha, both from the Allahabad University. The first official Director of the Institute was Prof. Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar. He was followed by Prof. S.R. Sinha again.[5]

Prof. Sharadchandra Shankar Shrikhande joined the Institute as its Director in January 1983. The institute was facing financial difficulties, and Prof Shrikhande sought DAE support for the institute. Following the recommendations of the DAE review committee, the Government of Uttar Pradesh committed to provide a campus for HRI, while the DAE committed to provide full funding for all operational expenses.[5]

In January 1990, the Institute was granted about 66 acres (270,000 m2) in Jhusi town of Allahabad district and Prof. H.S. Mani took over as Director. The institute moved to its present campus in 1996. Since then, the institute has grown in facilities, scope of research as well as number of faculty and students.

In October 2000, the institute was renamed in honor of renowned Indian mathematician, Harish-Chandra.

Prof. Ravi S. Kulkarni succeeded Prof. Mani as the director in August 2001 and was followed by Prof. Amitava Raychaudhuri in July 2005. Prof. Jayanta Kumar Bhattacharjee followed in May 2011.[1]

Research activities

The HRI Mathematics research group has four teams with focus on Algebra, Analysis, Geometry & Topology and Number Theory.[6] The HRI Physics research group consists of teams focused on Astrophysics, Condensed Matter Physics, High Energy Physics, String Theory and Quantum Information & Computation.[7] Prominent HRI faculty members in the area of String Theory include Ashoke Sen and Rajesh Gopakumar.[8]

Besides its research, the Mathematics group is known for conducting the annual Summer Programme in Mathematics (SPIM), a highly popular scheme that invites interested undergraduates from across India for an intensive month-long immersive program in advanced mathematics.[9][10] The Physics group has also started Visiting Students Program (VSP) in Physics to motivate students for higher studies in Physics.[11][12]

Awards

HRI faculty members have received numerous research awards. The following faculty members of the institute have received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology:

Prof. Ashoke Sen received the prestigious Infosys Prize in 2009[1] and Fundamental Physics Prize in July 2012.[13][14] He was also awarded the prestigious civilian award Padma Bhushan by President of India in April 2013. Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar received the International Centre for Theoretical Physics Prize in 2006.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Academic Report 2010-2011" (PDF). Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  2. ↑ "HRI Administration". Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  3. ↑ "Physics Faculty". Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  4. ↑ "Home". Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  5. 1 2 "History". Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  6. ↑ "Mathematics Research at HRI". Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  7. ↑ "Physics Research at HRI". Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  8. ↑ "Stringing together the ultimate law". The Hindu. 2001-01-07. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  9. ↑ "Summer Programme in Mathematics". Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  10. ↑ "Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI) - Summer Programme in Mathematics". Ideology Speaks. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  11. ↑ "The Graduate Program in Physics at HRI". Harish-Chandra Research Institute. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
  12. ↑ "Summer Project/Internship 2013 at HRI Allahabad". UpdateMoi. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
  13. ↑ http://www.fundamentalphysicsprize.org/laureates.html
  14. ↑ Allahabad physicist Ashoke Sen wins prize, becomes crorepati overnight. Indiatvnews.com (2012-08-01). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
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