Theoretical physicist, cosmologist Thanu Padmanabhan dies

Renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist Thanu Padmanabhan passed away in Pune after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 64 years old.

Padmanabhan was a professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). He has authored over 300 research papers. Stanford University ranked him 24 among the top scientists in the world for his paper in theoretical physics. He contributed in the areas of gravitation, quantum gravity, and structure and formation of the universe. He also won the inaugural Infosys Prize for Physical Sciences and was honoured with Padma Shri.

Professor Thanu Padmanabhan completed his schooling, undergraduate studies, and postgraduate studies from the University of Kerala. He earned a PhD from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and pursued a postdoctoral degree from the Institute of Astronomy under the University of Cambridge, UK, The Indian Express reported.

K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the government, expressed grief at the passing of Thanu Padmanabhan. He tweeted that the professor's research linking general relativity and thermodynamics in new ways and other areas has been widely recognized.