Vinod Johri
Encyclopedia
Vinod Johri is an India
n astrophysicist. He is an eminent cosmologist, a retired professor of astrophysics
at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and an emeritus professor at Lucknow University since 1995. Johri has over 75 research publications and articles published in pioneering journals. His major contributions in cosmological research include 'power law inflation, genesis of quintessence
fields of dark energy
and phantom cosmologies'. He is the co-author of the first model of 'power law inflation in Brans-Dicke Theory
' along with C.Mathiazhagan. He has been honored by Uttar Pradesh Government by Research Award of the Council of Science & Technology (CSIR).
Johri has spent over 45 years researching in cosmology, acting as a research guide and principal investigator of various research projects of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Science & Technology and University Grants Commission of India. Johri has been a Commonwealth Fellow, a senior visitor at Cambridge University (UK) and a Fellow of Royal Astronomical Society of London. He has worked as consultant for UNESCO
at United Nations Development Program in Iran
and as a DAAD Fellow at University of Mainz (Germany), as a visiting scientist at Hansen Lab (Gravity Probe B Group) Stanford University
(USA) and as an International Scholar at Fine Theoretical Physics Institute at University of Minnesota
at Minneapolis (USA).
(Uttar Pradesh
), India
on 10 June 1935. His father Dr. Bhairon Prasad Johri graduated from Veterinary College, Patna
and worked as Livestock Officer, Allahabad, India. Johri's mother, Sarojini Johri was a home maker.
Johri completed his High School at Narain College, Shikohabad
, India, with 12th rank in the state merit list. He was awarded First Prize in Chiranjeevi Dhiri Singh Provicial English Debate. He completed his Bachelor's in 1953 and Master's in Applied Mathematics
in 1956 from Allahabad University
scoring high ranks in the merit list. In 1957 he was appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics Allahabad University, Allahabad
. In 1960, Johri was appointed Assistant Professor in Mathematics at Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur
India
, where he was conferred PhD degree in 1966 on his thesis "Gravitational Waves in Bondi Space-Time".
In 1967 Johri was awarded Commonwealth Fellowship for Post-Doctorate work at Department of Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge University (UK), where he worked in close collaboration on cosmological problems with Dr.Dennis Sciama and research scholars Friedrich Hehl (Cologne), Fernando de Felice (Padova, Italy), George Ellis(Capetown) and Stephen Hawking
(UK) for his Post Doctorate program. In 1968 Johri was appointed Reader in Mathematics at Gorakhpur University. Between 1970–1972, Johri worked as UNESCO
consultant to Government of Iran under United Nations Development Program at Teheran. Johri was elected a Fellow of Royal Astronomical Society
of London in 1978.
Johri accepted the position of Professor of Cosmology at the Mathematics Department of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (Chennai
) in 1980. In addition to teaching and advising PhD students, he introduced new courses on General Relativity
and Cosmology
. In 1984, he discovered the first model of 'power law inflation' under Brans-Dicke Theory
(later on called as 'extended inflation') along with his student C.Mathizhagan. Johri has worked on various visiting assignments at National University (Kuwait), International Centre for Theoretical Physics
, Trieste
(Italy
), Copernicus Astronomical Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences
(Warsaw), National University of Singapore
, South West Technical University of Sydney
; Australian National University
, Canberra
, Hansen Lab (Gravity Probe B Group)), Stanford University
, Cologne University, International Institute of Physics and Chemistry Brussels University (hosted by Nobel Laureate Prof. Ilya Prigogine
).
Johri organized the International Symposium on Cosmology at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 1995. The proceedings of the symposium were published by Hadronic Press, Florida (USA) in 1997.
In 1995 Professor Johri retired from Indian Institute of Technology and joined as CSIR Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mathematics & Astronomy at Lucknow University, Lucknow
(India
). In 2001, Johri got interested in Dark Energy
during his visiting assignment at Fine Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Minnesota
(USA), he gave the theory of 'integrated tracking' of Quintessence Fields. His research work on 'Genesis of Quintessence' and 'Phantom Cosmologies' was published in reputed journals Physical Review
D & Classical and Quantum Gravity
.
of London in 1978. Johri was awarded the Royal Society Visiting Fellowship in 1989 for visiting Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) Cambridge, Southampton University (UK), Cardiff University
and Queen Mary College, London under the Distinguished Scientists Exchange Program of British Council. In 1993, Johri was awarded DAAD
Fellowship for his visiting assignment at Theoretical Physics Institute, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz
(Germany).
Johri was honored with a 'Silver Plaque' by Council of Science & Technology, India for his distinguished work on Dark Energy in the year 2006. He is Life Member of Ganita Parishad and a founding member of the Indian Association of General Relativity and Gravitation.
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...
n astrophysicist. He is an eminent cosmologist, a retired professor of astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and an emeritus professor at Lucknow University since 1995. Johri has over 75 research publications and articles published in pioneering journals. His major contributions in cosmological research include 'power law inflation, genesis of quintessence
Quintessence
Quintessence, literally fifth essence , can refer to:-Science:* Aether , the fifth classical element after earth, fire, water, and air...
fields of dark energy
Dark energy
In physical cosmology, astronomy and celestial mechanics, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe. Dark energy is the most accepted theory to explain recent observations that the universe appears to be expanding...
and phantom cosmologies'. He is the co-author of the first model of 'power law inflation in Brans-Dicke Theory
Brans-Dicke theory
In theoretical physics, the Brans–Dicke theory of gravitation is a theoretical framework to explain gravitation. It is a well-known competitor of Einstein's more popular theory of general relativity...
' along with C.Mathiazhagan. He has been honored by Uttar Pradesh Government by Research Award of the Council of Science & Technology (CSIR).
Johri has spent over 45 years researching in cosmology, acting as a research guide and principal investigator of various research projects of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Science & Technology and University Grants Commission of India. Johri has been a Commonwealth Fellow, a senior visitor at Cambridge University (UK) and a Fellow of Royal Astronomical Society of London. He has worked as consultant for UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
at United Nations Development Program in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and as a DAAD Fellow at University of Mainz (Germany), as a visiting scientist at Hansen Lab (Gravity Probe B Group) Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
(USA) and as an International Scholar at Fine Theoretical Physics Institute at University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
at Minneapolis (USA).
Career
Johri was born in EtahEtah
Etah is a town which is also the district headquarters of Etah district of Uttar Pradesh state, India.-Geography:Etah is located at . It has an average elevation of 170 metres ....
(Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
), 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...
on 10 June 1935. His father Dr. Bhairon Prasad Johri graduated from Veterinary College, Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
and worked as Livestock Officer, Allahabad, India. Johri's mother, Sarojini Johri was a home maker.
Johri completed his High School at Narain College, Shikohabad
Shikohabad
Shikohabad is a city and a municipal board in the Firozabad district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city has been famous since the British Period for its Glass Industry. Shikihabad has one of the oldest Bulb and Electric Tube manufacturing units , established in 1951, which was the...
, India, with 12th rank in the state merit list. He was awarded First Prize in Chiranjeevi Dhiri Singh Provicial English Debate. He completed his Bachelor's in 1953 and Master's in Applied Mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
in 1956 from Allahabad University
Allahabad University
Allahabad University , is a premier Central University located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named after Lt...
scoring high ranks in the merit list. In 1957 he was appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics Allahabad University, Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
. In 1960, Johri was appointed Assistant Professor in Mathematics at Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed...
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...
, where he was conferred PhD degree in 1966 on his thesis "Gravitational Waves in Bondi Space-Time".
In 1967 Johri was awarded Commonwealth Fellowship for Post-Doctorate work at Department of Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge University (UK), where he worked in close collaboration on cosmological problems with Dr.Dennis Sciama and research scholars Friedrich Hehl (Cologne), Fernando de Felice (Padova, Italy), George Ellis(Capetown) and Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
(UK) for his Post Doctorate program. In 1968 Johri was appointed Reader in Mathematics at Gorakhpur University. Between 1970–1972, Johri worked as UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
consultant to Government of Iran under United Nations Development Program at Teheran. Johri was elected a Fellow of Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
of London in 1978.
Johri accepted the position of Professor of Cosmology at the Mathematics Department of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
) in 1980. In addition to teaching and advising PhD students, he introduced new courses on General Relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
and Cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
. In 1984, he discovered the first model of 'power law inflation' under Brans-Dicke Theory
Brans-Dicke theory
In theoretical physics, the Brans–Dicke theory of gravitation is a theoretical framework to explain gravitation. It is a well-known competitor of Einstein's more popular theory of general relativity...
(later on called as 'extended inflation') along with his student C.Mathizhagan. Johri has worked on various visiting assignments at National University (Kuwait), International Centre for Theoretical Physics
International Centre for Theoretical Physics
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics was founded in 1964 by Pakistani scientist and Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam after consulting with Munir Ahmad Khan. It operates under a tripartite agreement among the Italian Government, UNESCO, and International Atomic Energy Agency...
, Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
(Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), Copernicus Astronomical Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences
Polish Academy of Sciences
The Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
(Warsaw), National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
, South West Technical University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
; Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Hansen Lab (Gravity Probe B Group)), Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Cologne University, International Institute of Physics and Chemistry Brussels University (hosted by Nobel Laureate Prof. Ilya Prigogine
Ilya Prigogine
Ilya, Viscount Prigogine was a Russian-born naturalized Belgian physical chemist and Nobel Laureate noted for his work on dissipative structures, complex systems, and irreversibility.-Biography :...
).
Johri organized the International Symposium on Cosmology at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 1995. The proceedings of the symposium were published by Hadronic Press, Florida (USA) in 1997.
In 1995 Professor Johri retired from Indian Institute of Technology and joined as CSIR Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mathematics & Astronomy at Lucknow University, Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
(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...
). In 2001, Johri got interested in Dark Energy
Dark energy
In physical cosmology, astronomy and celestial mechanics, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe. Dark energy is the most accepted theory to explain recent observations that the universe appears to be expanding...
during his visiting assignment at Fine Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
(USA), he gave the theory of 'integrated tracking' of Quintessence Fields. His research work on 'Genesis of Quintessence' and 'Phantom Cosmologies' was published in reputed journals Physical Review
Physical Review
Physical Review is an American scientific journal founded in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research and scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the American Physical Society. The journal is in its third series, and is split in several...
D & Classical and Quantum Gravity
Classical and Quantum Gravity
Classical and Quantum Gravity is a peer-reviewed journal that covers all aspects of gravitational physics and the theory of spacetime.Its scope includes*Classical general relativity*Applications of relativity*Experimental gravitation...
.
Honors
Johri was a Commonwealth Fellow and a senior visitor to Cambridge University (UK). He was also a resident of Clare College, Cambridge. He was elected a Fellow of Royal Astronomical SocietyRoyal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
of London in 1978. Johri was awarded the Royal Society Visiting Fellowship in 1989 for visiting Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) Cambridge, Southampton University (UK), Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
and Queen Mary College, London under the Distinguished Scientists Exchange Program of British Council. In 1993, Johri was awarded DAAD
DAAD
DAAD can have several meanings:* The German Academic Exchange Service * Direct Action Against Drugs, a cover name for the Provisional Irish Republican Army...
Fellowship for his visiting assignment at Theoretical Physics Institute, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
(Germany).
Johri was honored with a 'Silver Plaque' by Council of Science & Technology, India for his distinguished work on Dark Energy in the year 2006. He is Life Member of Ganita Parishad and a founding member of the Indian Association of General Relativity and Gravitation.
Writings
Besides scientific research papers and popular science articles, Johri has written several books on Mathematical Physics and Astrophysics. His research monograph "Early Universe" was published by Hadronic Press (USA) in 1996.Personal life
Johri is married to Aruna (maiden name Kodesia). The couple has 2 sons Manoj (Software Architect), Vivek (Data Warehouse Dev Lead) and 2 daughters Manisha (Teacher) and Anvita (Software Development Manager). He enjoys pursuing his hobbies of vocal music and poetry during his retirement.External links
- http://www.linkedin.com/pub/vinod-johri/14/176/10
- http://mat.iitm.ac.in/Ret33.html
- http://www.jamia-physics.net/astro/
- http://www.imsc.res.in/~iagrg/IagrgSite/Members/current_members.html
- http://arxiv.org/find/all/1/au:+johri/0/1/0/all/0/1
- http://www.scientificcommons.org/vinod_b_johri
- http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/books?irn=283720
- http://iaps.academia.edu/RAMBILASMISRA/Papers/229921/MATHEMATICS_AND_MATHEMATICIANS_AT_PRAYAG_ALLAHABAD_