Upcoming Public Lecture on 27th July, 2026

My Journey from a Village in Rajasthan to the Frontiers of Quantum Physics

Chandigarh Citizens Foundation (CCF) and Society for Promotion of Science & Technology in India (SPSTI) invites you to a Public Lecture

by

JAINENDRA K. JAIN
JAINENDRA K. JAIN
Dr. Jainendra K. Jain is a celebrated physicist occupying most distinguished Professorial Chair at Pennsylvania State University, USA. He recently assumed as the first Director of the newly launched Lodha Theoretical Physics Institute in Mumbai. In 2002, he received the premier condensed matter physics award, Oliver E. Buckley Prize, from the American Physical Society for the Composite Fermion model. In 2025 he was awarded the Wolf Prize in Physics for advancing our understanding of the surprising properties of two- dimensional electron systems in strong magnetic fields. The Wolf Prize, is widely regarded as the second most prestigious award in Physics and Chemistry, after the Nobel Prize. Among the 67 Wolf Physics Prize awardees between 1978 and 2024, 27 later went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, and two more awarded Turing Prize (Equivalent of Nobel Prize in Computer Science). The list includes M Mayor (2019), D Queloz (2019), R Penrose (2020), G Parisi (2021), A Aspect (2022), A Zeilinger (2022), Anne L’ Huillier (2023), F Krausz (2023), G Brassard (Turing 2025), Coho Bennett (Turing 2025).

Abstract

When electrons are confined to two dimensions and exposed to a strong magnetic field, they pull us into an astonishing new world that defies our everyday intuition. Electrons capture quanta of magnetic field to transform into exotic particles known as composite fermions, which serve as the fundamental building blocks of an unexpected and remarkably rich quantum landscape. I will share the unfolding of the story and the motivations that led me to the discovery of composite fermions and touch on how they could pave the way to new technology. I will also talk about my own journey starting from a village in Rajasthan to touch upon broader questions such as what inspires a child from a small town to pursue research in science and what role luck, opportunity and family play in their success.

No advanced background is required, just a willingness to be amazed by quantum physics.

Date: 27th July, 2026 at 10:00 AM

Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, Chandigarh