Physics scientist Thanu Padmanabhan receives M P Birla Memorial Award in cosmology

Noted physicist Thanu Padmanabhan on Sunday received the M P Birla Memorial Award 2019 for his contributions to the world of cosmology. Padmanabhan, a professor of Inter-university Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, received the award at a programme held at the M P Birla Planetarium here, a statement said. In his memorial lecture, ‘Gravity and the Cosmos’, the Padma Shri recipient scientist spoke about the role gravity has played in shaping the Universe, it said. [caption id=“attachment_7424651” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Thanu Padmanabhan. image credit: Wikipedia/Scipop[/caption] The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awardee dwelt on open questions about the Universe “which have not yet been fully resolved”, the release said. Padmanabhan, a visiting faculty to several institutes in the US and the UK, has contributed to the fields of general relativity, gravitation and cosmology, it said. The M P Birla Memorial Award comprises a citation, trophy and a cheque for Rs 2,51,000. The award was introduced in 1993 in recognition to the excellence in research in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Science and related areas.