Ajoy Kumar Ghatak is an Indian

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

and author of physics textbooks. Ghatak has written over 170 research papers and more than 20 books. His undergraduate textbook on ''Optics'' has been translated to Chinese and Persian and his monograph on ''Inhomogeneous Optical Waveguides'' (coauthored with Professor Sodha) has been translated to Chinese and Russian. In 1995, he was elected Fellow of the

Optica (society) Optica, founded as the Optical Society of America (later the Optical Society), is a professional society of individuals and companies with an interest in optics and photonics. It publishes journals, organizes conferences and exhibitions, and c ...

"for distinguished service to optics education and for his contribution to the understanding of propagation characteristics of gradient index media, fibers and integrated optical devices".

Education

He received his M.Sc. from

Delhi University The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...

and Ph.D. from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

Career

Ghatak joined the

Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT- Delhi) is a public institute of technology located in Delhi, India. It is one of the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology created to be a Centre of Excellence for India's training, research and developme ...

in 1966. He retired as an Emeritus Professor of Physics at IIT Delhi in 2007. Ghatak is currently the President of the

National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, also known as NASI, was established in 1930 and is the oldest science academy of India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows * Suddhasatwa Bas ...

. He also spends his time writing books and doing special guest lectures at universities and colleges in India and internationally. In recent years, he has taken a keen interest in bringing the genius of

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

to the wider public and was invited to present a

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

talk, "Inside Einstein's mind" in 2017.

Selected awards and honors

Sang Soo Lee Award (2020) "For his seminal role in the development of fiber optics and guided wave photonics and for pioneering optics education in India." *

SPIE SPIE (formerly the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers, later the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers) is an international not-for-profit professional society for optics and photonics technology, founded in 1955. It ...

Educator Award (2008) "in recognition of outstanding contributions to optics education" * Esther Hoffman Beller Medal (2003) of the

"for outstanding contributions to optical science and engineering education" * Galileo Galilei Award (1998) of the

International Commission for Optics International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

"for outstanding contributions to the field of optics which are achieved under comparatively unfavorable circumstances" * S. S. Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology – Physical Sciences (1979) of the

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR; IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada'') is a research and development (R&D) organisation in India to promote scientific, industrial and economic growth. Headquarter ...

"for significant work in the field of inhomogeneous optical wave-guides, theory of aberrations for optical systems comprising inhomogeneous media and self-focussing of laser beams"

Selected publications

Some publications include: * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Google Scholar Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghatak, Ajoy 1939 births Living people Bengali physicists Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Physical Science Fellows of Optica (society) 20th-century Indian physicists Scientists from Lucknow Indian optical physicists