2025 ICTP Prize Announced

The 2025 ICTP Prize has been awarded to Titas Chanda of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and Sthitadhi Roy of the Tata institute of fundamental research, Bengaluru, India.

The award recognises the winners’ exceptional and original contributions to the theory of quantum many-body systems, at the interface of condensed matter and quantum information science. Their work has opened new directions in the understanding of non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum systems, quantum correlations, and measurement-driven phase transitions, including conceptual as well as methodological breakthroughs.

Titas Chanda, assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India, shares the 2025 ICTP Prize for his wide-ranging and impactful contributions to quantum information science, quantum many-body physics, and quantum technologies. His research spans from foundational aspects of quantum correlations and open quantum systems to applications such as quantum batteries, communication protocols, and resource theories. Chanda’s work is distinguished by a rare combination of analytical depth and computational expertise, exemplified by the development of widely used numerical tools and high-impact results across diverse subfields—including quantum optics, cold atoms, and strongly correlated systems. His rapid mastery of new research areas, prolific scientific output, and leading role in collaborative projects have made him a driving force in advancing quantum science within India and internationally.

Sthitadhi Roy, assistant professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, India, shares the 2025 ICTP Prize for his outstanding and influential contributions to the non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum many-body systems, particularly his pioneering work on measurement-induced phenomena, many-body localisation, and emergent phases of quantum matter. His research has produced deep insights into the structure of highly excited eigenstates, the role of disorder correlations in stabilizing localisation, and the mechanisms underlying entanglement growth and thermalisation. Roy’s analytical breakthroughs—including exact results for hybrid quantum circuits, scaling theories of the MBL transition, and protocols that harness measurements to prepare exotic topological and dynamical phases—have had a profound impact on several rapidly developing research directions.

Prize Honouring the Past

Each year, the ICTP Prize is given in honour of a scientist who has made outstanding contributions to the field in which the prize is given. The 2025 ICTP Prize is dedicated to the memory of Giancarlo Ghirardi, a theoretical physicist whose tireless work on the foundations of quantum mechanics created approaches and indeed a whole  school that anticipated by far the entanglement-based modern quantum information methods. As a long-time collaborator with ICTP, Ghirardi's strong presence at and dedication to the Centre was of immense value to its international community.

About the ICTP Prize

The ICTP Prize was created in 1982. It recognizes young scientists from developing countries who work and live in those countries and who have made outstanding and original contributions to physics. For further details, see the ICTP Prize webpage.