Prof. Subir Sachdev

Prof. Sachdev’s research mainly specializes in condensed matter. It describes the connection between physical properties of modern quantum materials and the nature of quantum entanglement in the many-particle wave function. He has made extensive contributions to the description of the diverse varieties of entangled states of quantum matter. Many of these contributions have been linked to experiments, especially to the rich phase diagrams of the high temperature superconductors. He has also developed a connection between entanglement in quantum matter, and the properties of black holes in theories of quantum gravity.

He attended college at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; B.S. in Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Harvard University. He held professional positions at Bell Labs (1985–1987) and at Yale University (1987–2005), where he was a Professor of Physics, before returning to Harvard, where he is now the Herchel Smith Professor of Physics. He also holds visiting positions as the Cenovus Energy James Clerk Maxwell Chair in Theoretical Physics at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and the Dr. Homi J. Bhabha Chair Professorship at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

He is a recipient of a number of awards and honors which include: Dirac Medals from the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), 2018, and University of New South Wales, 2015; Lars Onsager Prize from the American Physical Society (APS), 2018; Elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 2014; Abdus Salam Distinguished Lecturer, ICTP, Italy, 2014; Hendrik Lorentz Chair, Lorentz Institute, 2012; John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow, 2003; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow, February 1989; and LeRoy Apker Award (APS) Recipient, 1982.