Predhiman Krishan Kaw (15 January 1948 – 18 June 2017)[1] was an Indian plasmaphysicist. He had been the founding director[2] of the Institute for Plasma Research and served the institute as the director from 1986 to 2012.
Biography
Kaw was born on 15 January 1948 in Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir), India. He matriculated from Punjab University (1958) and completed his M.Sc. from Agra University in 1964. He received PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 1966 under Supervision of Prof. M. S. Sodha, and was the first Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.[3] Kaw received his Ph.D. at the age of 18,[1] following which he completed his PostDoc at Princeton University. He had been the founding director[2] of the Institute for Plasma Research and served the institute as the director from 1986 to 2012. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri award, India's fourth-highest honor, in 1985 and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1986. On 28 December 2016, he was awarded the Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Prize of Plasma Physics for his seminal contributions in the areas of laser-plasma interactions, strongly coupled dusty plasmas, and turbulence, nonlinear effect in magnetic fusion devices. He is also a recipient of the 2008 TWAS Prize.[4] His older brother is bureaucrat and author M. K. Kaw.
Professional details
Year
Institute
Designation
1967-1969
Princeton University
Postdoctoral Fellow
1969-1971
Princeton University, USA
Research Staff & Lecturer
1971-1974
Physical Research Laboratory, India
Associate Professor
1974-1975
Physical Research Laboratory, India
Professor
1975-1982
Princeton University, USA
Principal Research Physicist Lecturer in Astrophysical Sciences
1982-1986
Plasma Physics Programme, Physical Research Laboratory, India
