Personal Information

Full Name: Ashoke Vasant Sen

Nickname: Ashoke Sen

Country/State: India

Date of Birth: 1956-07-15

Languages Known: English, Hindi, Bengali

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Food Habit: Not publicly disclosed

Religion: Not publicly disclosed

Hobbies: Scientific reading, academic writing, mentoring students

Education

School: Sailendra Sircar Vidyalaya, Kolkata

College: Sailendra Sircar Vidyalaya, Kolkata

Degrees Obtained: B.Sc. in Physics M.Sc. in Physics Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics

Physical Stats

Height: 165 cm

Weight: 65 kg

Family Information

Parents: Father: Anil Kumar Sen (Physics professor) Mother: Gouri Sen

Siblings: Not publicly disclosed

Marital Status: married

Wife: Sumathi Rao (Physicist)

Children: 0

Career

Current Position: Theoretical Physicist, String Theorist, Professor

Skills:

Net Worth: Not Public

Awards & Achievements: Fundamental Physics Prize (2012) Padma Shri Award (2001) Padma Bhushan Award (2013) Dirac Medal (2014) Infosys Prize in Mathematical Sciences (2009) S.S. Bhatnagar Award (1994) Fellow of multiple national and international scientific academies Foundational contributions to S-duality, D-brane physics, tachyon condensation and black hole microstate entropy

Biography Details

Ashoke Sen was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, in 1956. Strongly inspired by science from childhood, he pursued studies in physics at Presidency College and IIT Kanpur, later earning his Ph.D. in the United States. After post-doctoral roles overseas, he returned to India and built an internationally recognised research group in theoretical physics.

He is considered one of the world’s most influential contributors to string theory. His discovery of S-duality revealed deep connections between different versions of string theory, helping establish that all known formulations are part of a single unifying framework. His work on D-brane dynamics, tachyon condensation, and black hole entropy has opened new ways to understand the universe at the smallest scales.

Ashoke Sen continues to push forward research at ICTS Bengaluru, mentoring scientists and advancing ideas central to quantum gravity and cosmology.

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