This prestigious recognition celebrates Prof. Agarwal's pathbreaking research in theoretical condensed matter physics, particularly in the areas of quantum transport, topological materials, and low-dimensional systems.
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) Monday announced that Prof. Amit Kumar Agarwal, Department of Physics, has been awarded the 2025 Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar: Vigyan Yuva - Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, one of the India's highest honours in science and technology.
This prestigious recognition celebrates Prof. Agarwal's pathbreaking research in theoretical condensed matter physics, particularly in the areas of quantum transport, topological materials, and low-dimensional systems.
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Prof. Agarwal becomes the first alumnus of the Center for High Energy Physics (CHEP), Indian Institute of Science, to receive this distinguished national award.
He completed his Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Before joining IIT Kanpur in August 2012, he served as a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Researcher at the Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa (Italy), where he worked with Prof. Rosario Fazio and Dr. Marco Polini on the European Union FP7 project SemiSpinNet, exploring quantum many-body effects in two-dimensional electron gases with strong spin-orbit coupling.
At IIT Kanpur, Prof. Agarwal has emerged as a leading figure in theoretical physics. His research explores quantum geometry and transport phenomena in quantum materials, the study of new two-dimensional, topological, and magnetic materials using density functional theory, collective excitations such as plasmons and charge density waves, and nanoscale device modeling relevant to emerging quantum technologies.
Reflecting on the honor, Prof. Agarwal said, "It is a privilege to be recognized with this award. My journey has been guided by the curiosity to understand the quantum world and by the inspiration I draw from my mentors, colleagues, and students. The Physics department at IIT Kanpur has been my home and my karma-bhoomi since 2012. Our institute is a place that constantly motivates natural curiosity, learning, and excellence."