Predhiman Krishan Kaw (15 January 1948 – 18 June 2017)
was an Indian
plasma 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 ...
. He was the founding director
of the
Institute for Plasma Research and served as the institute's as the director from 1986 to 2012.
Biography
Kaw was born on 15 January 1948 in
Srinagar
Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
(Jammu and Kashmir), India. He matriculated from
Punjab University Punjab University may refer to:
India
* Punjab Agricultural University, a state agricultural university in Ludhiana, Punjab
* I. K. Gujral Punjab Technical University, a state university in Kapurthala, Punjab
* Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Techn ...
(1958) and completed his M.Sc. from
Agra University
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, formerly Agra University, is an Autonomous University located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. The university, formerly named as Agra University, was later named after Bhimrao Ambedkar.
Affiliated colleges
The U ...
in 1964. He received a
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
from 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 under Supervision of Prof.
M. S. Sodha, and was the first Ph.D. from the IIT, Delhi.
Kaw received his Ph.D. at the age of 18,
following which he completed his PostDoc at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
. He was the founding director
of the
Institute for Plasma Research and served as the institute's as the director from 1986 to 2012. He was awarded the prestigious
Padma Shri
The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
award, India's fourth-highest honor, in 1985 and the
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1986. On 28 December 2016, he was awarded the Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics for his seminal contributions in the areas of laser-plasma interactions, strongly coupled dusty plasmas, and turbulence, nonlinear effect in magnetic fusion devices. He is also a recipient of the 2008
TWAS Prize
This is a list of recipients of the TWAS Prize, awarded annually by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) since 1985.
Summary
Agricultural Sciences
Biology
Chemistry
Earth Sciences
Engineering Sciences
Mathematics ...
.
His older brother is bureaucrat and author
M. K. Kaw.
Professional details
Selected articles and talks
* PK Kaw
"Fusion power, who needs it?" (pdf format) Current Science, 10 July 1993, 65(01) 2
References
External links
Institute for Plasma Research, Gujarat, IndiaPredhiman Kaw, founder of India’s fusion program and former PPPL physicist -- News
1948 births
2017 deaths
Kashmiri people
Kashmiri Pandits
20th-century Indian physicists
Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering
IIT Delhi alumni
People from Srinagar
Scientists from Jammu and Kashmir
TWAS laureates
Indian plasma physicists
Fellows of the American Physical Society
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