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Biography

OVERVIEW

Dr. Ajoy Kumar Ghatak is a celebrated Physicist, an immensely respected teacher, gifted speaker and celebrated author. He has contributed profoundly to the domain of Optics and Photonics for over five decades in India and overseas. Loved and respected by his students, colleagues and family, Dr Ghatak embodies great compassion, accessibility to anyone that needs him and boundless curiosity.


Dr. Ghatak has written over 170 research papers, more than 20 books and received numerous prestigious awards. His undergraduate textbook on Optics is considered transformational and over the years he has mentored thousands of students. As a teacher, he makes it a point to travel to every institute that invites him, for the simple reason that no entity is too small or too big to impart education. As an icon of his time he balances his fierce passion to teach and write, while enjoying people, music, his love for Einstein’s theories and still being a loving family man.

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FOSTERING EDUCATION NATIONALLY 

After his formal retirement as a Professor from IIT Delhi, Dr. Ghatak did not distance himself from the domain but has been even more active in disseminating his storehouse of knowledge in Physics, Optics & Photonics and Quantum Mechanics. Apart from this, he has been playing a very distinguished and very novel role in being a narrator, a storyteller.

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Most of the times, he tells the story of twentieth-century science and its evolutionary struggles. The theory of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are the two scientific triumphs of the 20th century. These theories challenged the scientific understanding that existed in that period. Such theories which are counter-intuitive and oppose the conventional wisdom, at least at first glance, become intimidating topics for the fledgling undergraduate and graduate students who are content with their Newtonian world. Here, a great teacher can bring life to the subject. In the words of none other than Albert Einstein, “it is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

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HISTORY

Dr. Ghatak received his PhD (in Engineering Physics) in June 1963 at the Physics Department of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He had a tremendously rewarding experience of carrying out his doctoral work (in nonlinear reactor physics) under the guidance of Professor Mark Nelkin. During his last year at Cornell, he received the Cornell Fellowship and was also elected to the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi for his scholastic records. From June 1963 to October 1964, he worked as a Research Associate in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at BNL (Brookhaven National Laboratory), in Upton, New York.

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During his career, he has held several visiting positions at various renowned institutions across the world; to name a few - he was a ‘Visiting Scientist’ in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1974; ‘Visiting Fellow’ in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Engineering Physics, Institute of Advanced Studies, Australian National University, Canberra from 1977 to 1978; ‘Visiting Professor’ from 1983 to 1984 at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and from 1984 to 1985 at the National University of Singapore. Given his love for people, while visiting these countries, he immediately became close to colleagues and members of the community.

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At present, Dr. Ghatak is the Meghnad Saha Distinguished Professor of NASI (The National Academy of Sciences, India); NASI is the oldest science academy in India. According to the official website of NASI: The M.N. Saha Distinguished Fellowship is awarded to an Indian Scientist for most distinguished contribution to Science.  Dr. Ghatak is deeply involved in reaching out to national centers and students to propagate the pedagogy he has imbibed. His visits to centers that are less resourced are immensely appreciated by the students.

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FEW AWARDS

The second Prime Minister of India, Shrimati Indira Gandhi presented Dr. Ghatak the 1979 prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for outstanding contributions in Physics. 

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Dr. Ghatak receiving the UGC Meghnad Saha award for outstanding contributions in Theoretical Sciences in 1995, from Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014.

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Professor Ghatak received the 2015 Om Prakash Bhasin Award (from Prof C N R Rao) for outstanding contributions to Electronics & Information Technology.                    

He received the 1995 Amita De Memorial Award for his lifelong research contributions in the field of Optics and dedicated service to the Optics Community.  

 

For his distinguished service to the optics education and for his contribution to the understanding of propagation characteristics of gradient index media, fibers and integrated optical devices, he was elected as a Fellow of the Optical Society of America in 1995.  

In the year 1998, the International Commission on Optics conferred upon him the Galileo Galilei Award, in recognition of his outstanding contributions in optics. Dr. Ghatak is a recipient of the Optical Society of America’s Esther Hoffman Beller Award in 2003, for his outstanding contributions to the optics education and for the leadership of a major fiber optics and optoelectronics research and training program in a developing nation.

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In 2007, University of Burdwan awarded D. Sc. (Doctor of Science), honoris causa, to Dr. Ghatak. In the year 2008, he became a distinguished recipient of the SPIE Educator award in recognition of his tireless and continuing dedication to optics education worldwide, particularly throughout the developing world, and his unparalleled global contributions to the field of fiber optics research.

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To date, there have been so many mentions and accolades attributed to him, nationally and internationally. Multiple instates have invited and wanted to confer awards to him, however he chooses to visit where he can teach and make an impact.  

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