Ramamurti Shankar (born April 28, 1947) is the Josiah Willard Gibbs professor of Physics at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut.

Education

He received his B. Tech in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and his Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from the University of California, Berkeley (1974).

Career

His research is in

theoretical A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...

condensed matter physics Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the ...

, although he is also known for his earlier work in theoretical particle physics. In 2009, Shankar was awarded the

Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize The Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of the American Physical Society, to remember Julius Edgar Lilienfeld, has been awarded annually, since 1989. (It was not awarded in 2002). The purpose of the Prize is to recognize outstanding contributions to phy ...

from the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

for "innovative applications of field theoretic techniques to quantum condensed matter systems". After three years at the Harvard Society of Fellows, he joined the Yale physics department, which he chaired between 2001-2007. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the second Indian after S. Chandrasekhar to be a member of

Harvard Society of Fellows The Society of Fellows is a group of scholars selected at the beginnings of their careers by Harvard University for their potential to advance academic wisdom, upon whom are bestowed distinctive opportunities to foster their individual and intell ...

. His Youtube lectures have been viewed by over 20 million people. In 2004 he was appointed the John Randolph Huffman Professor of Physics and in 2019 the

Josiah Willard Gibbs Josiah Willard Gibbs (; February 11, 1839 – April 28, 1903) was an American scientist who made significant theoretical contributions to physics, chemistry, and mathematics. His work on the applications of thermodynamics was instrumental in t ...

Professor of Physics.

Selected publications

*'' Principles of Quantum Mechanics'', Plenum, 1994. *''Basic Training in Mathematics'', Plenum, 1995. *''Fundamentals of Physics'', Yale Press, 2014. *''Fundamentals of Physics II'', Yale Press, 2016. *''Quantum Field Theory and Condensed Matter: An Introduction,'' Cambridge University Press, 2017.

References

External links

Ramamurti Shankar webpage
at Yale University
Fundamentals of Physics Lectures on YouTube.
1947 births Living people University of California, Berkeley alumni 21st-century American physicists Yale University faculty 20th-century Indian physicists IIT Madras alumni Indian condensed matter physicists Tamil scientists Scientists from Tamil Nadu Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences {{US-physicist-stub