Ashok Das
Encyclopedia
Ashok Das is an Indian American
theoretical physicist, an author and award winning teacher of Physics. He is professor of physics at University of Rochester
and Adjunct professor of Physics at Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
, Kolkata
, India
.
He received his BS
(Honours) in 1972 and MS
in 1974 in Physics
from University of Delhi
. He did his graduate studies in Supersymmetry
and Supergravity
at State University of New York at Stony Brook
. He received his PhD
(Spin 3/2 Fields and Supergravity Theories) in 1977.
He was a Research Associate at the City College of New York
, the University of Maryland
and at Rutgers University
before joining the University of Rochester
in 1982. He has been promoted to Professor in 1993 and is still continuing there. He is also the Adjunct professor of Physics at Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
, India (2005 - ).
Prof. Das' research is in the area of Theoretical High Energy Physics. He works on Supersymmetry and Supergravity. In recent years, he has worked extensively on non-linear integrable systems, which are systems which in spite of their complicated appearance can be exactly solved. He has also been working on finite temperature field theories, generalization of the Standard Model
to incorporate CP violation
, and problems in quantum field theory
and string theory
.
Although he has published widely with physicists around the world, his particularly strong collaboration with Latin American physicists is well known. In fact, he has coauthored over 100 published research papers with Brazil
ian physicists alone
He is known for his teaching and has received University and Department awards for his teaching including the Department Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester four times (1987, 1990, 1997 and 2006), the Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (1991), and the 2006 William H. Riker
University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching
He has written numerous books and monographes on various disciplines of theoretical physics in advanced and undergraduate and graduate level, like Field Theory: A Path Integral Approach (World Scientific publishers
), Finite Temperature Field Theory (World Scientific publishers), Integrable Models (World Scientific Lecture Notes in Physics) etc.
In 2002 Prof. Das was made a Fellow
of the American Physical Society
"For contributions in the areas of supergravity, integrable models and finite temperature field theory"
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
theoretical physicist, an author and award winning teacher of Physics. He is professor of physics at University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
and Adjunct professor of Physics at Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
The Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics is an institution of basic research and training in physical and biophysical sciences located in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, India. The institute is named after the famous Indian physicist Meghnad Saha.-History:...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
He received his BS
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
(Honours) in 1972 and MS
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1974 in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
. He did his graduate studies in Supersymmetry
Supersymmetry
In particle physics, supersymmetry is a symmetry that relates elementary particles of one spin to other particles that differ by half a unit of spin and are known as superpartners...
and Supergravity
Supergravity
In theoretical physics, supergravity is a field theory that combines the principles of supersymmetry and general relativity. Together, these imply that, in supergravity, the supersymmetry is a local symmetry...
at State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
. He received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(Spin 3/2 Fields and Supergravity Theories) in 1977.
He was a Research Associate at the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
and at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
before joining the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
in 1982. He has been promoted to Professor in 1993 and is still continuing there. He is also the Adjunct professor of Physics at Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
, India (2005 - ).
Prof. Das' research is in the area of Theoretical High Energy Physics. He works on Supersymmetry and Supergravity. In recent years, he has worked extensively on non-linear integrable systems, which are systems which in spite of their complicated appearance can be exactly solved. He has also been working on finite temperature field theories, generalization of the Standard Model
Standard Model
The Standard Model of particle physics is a theory concerning the electromagnetic, weak, and strong nuclear interactions, which mediate the dynamics of the known subatomic particles. Developed throughout the mid to late 20th century, the current formulation was finalized in the mid 1970s upon...
to incorporate CP violation
CP violation
In particle physics, CP violation is a violation of the postulated CP-symmetry: the combination of C-symmetry and P-symmetry . CP-symmetry states that the laws of physics should be the same if a particle were interchanged with its antiparticle , and left and right were swapped...
, and problems in quantum field theory
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
and string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
.
Although he has published widely with physicists around the world, his particularly strong collaboration with Latin American physicists is well known. In fact, he has coauthored over 100 published research papers with Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian physicists alone
He is known for his teaching and has received University and Department awards for his teaching including the Department Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester four times (1987, 1990, 1997 and 2006), the Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (1991), and the 2006 William H. Riker
William H. Riker
William Harrison Riker was an American political scientist who applied game theory and mathematics to political science....
University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching
He has written numerous books and monographes on various disciplines of theoretical physics in advanced and undergraduate and graduate level, like Field Theory: A Path Integral Approach (World Scientific publishers
World Scientific
World Scientific Publishing is a publisher of scientific, technical, and medical books and journals. The company was founded in 1981 and now employs more than 200 staff at its headquarters in Singapore, with offices worldwide in New Jersey, California, London, New Delhi, Tianjin, Sydney, Hong...
), Finite Temperature Field Theory (World Scientific publishers), Integrable Models (World Scientific Lecture Notes in Physics) etc.
In 2002 Prof. Das was made a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
"For contributions in the areas of supergravity, integrable models and finite temperature field theory"