Indian students make history at global physics event, bag India's highest rank yet
A four-member team of undergraduates from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) just put India on the global physics map -- again. Competing at PLANCKS 2025, one of the toughest theoretical physics contests in the world, the team secured the sixth position out of 200 participants from 29 countries. This is India's best performance at the event so far.Calling themselves the 'Denormalisation Group', the students -- Simar Narula, Ritabrata Ghosh, Susmit Roy, and Avik Das -- earned this opportunity by topping the Indian Young Physicist's League (IYPL), the national qualifying round.advertisementAll of them are currently pursuing their undergraduate studies in physics at IISc, with three in their second year and one in the first year.A TOUGHER EXAM THAN YOU'D EXPECT
Held in Barcelona from May 1 to 5, PLANCKS (Physics League Across Numerous Countries for Kick-ass Students) 2025 challenged participants with a four-hour closed-book exam that went far beyond typical textbook problems.One of the toughest questions involved working out the time of the universe's birth using complex data on dark matter, cosmological constants, and field equations.As per an interview to a leading media house, the IISc team shared that these weren't straightforward questions but demanded strong conceptual foundations, logical thinking, and calmness under pressure.They credited their training at IISc and the atmosphere of intellectual exploration for giving them the confidence to think through such problems.MORE THAN JUST AN EXAMadvertisementThe event wasn't just about exams. Nobel Laureate Anne L'Huillier kicked things off with a keynote lecture. Talks on cutting-edge topics like gravitational wave detection and photonics followed.Participants visited top research hubs -- the ALBA Synchrotron and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) -- and attended entrepreneurial sessions with founders from deep-tech startups.A SLICE OF BARCELONA AND BIG DREAMSThe experience was as much cultural as academic. The students explored Barcelona's historic streets, visited iconic sites like the Cathedral of Barcelona and Montjuc hill, and even checked out the current stadium of FC Barcelona.Their travel and participation were supported by the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs (ODAA), IISc. The achievement has sparked excitement on campus and may well inspire a new wave of Indian physics students to dream bigger on the international stage.
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Indian students make history at global physics event, bag India's highest rank yet
A four-member team of undergraduates from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) just put India on the global physics map -- again. Competing at PLANCKS 2025, one of the toughest theoretical physics contests in the world, the team secured the sixth position out of 200 participants from 29 countries. This is India's best performance at the event so themselves the 'Denormalisation Group', the students -- Simar Narula, Ritabrata Ghosh, Susmit Roy, and Avik Das -- earned this opportunity by topping the Indian Young Physicist's League (IYPL), the national qualifying of them are currently pursuing their undergraduate studies in physics at IISc, with three in their second year and one in the first year.A TOUGHER EXAM THAN YOU'D EXPECT Held in Barcelona from May 1 to 5, PLANCKS (Physics League Across Numerous Countries for Kick-ass Students) 2025 challenged participants with a four-hour closed-book exam that went far beyond typical textbook of the toughest questions involved working out the time of the universe's birth using complex data on dark matter, cosmological constants, and field per an interview to a leading media house, the IISc team shared that these weren't straightforward questions but demanded strong conceptual foundations, logical thinking, and calmness under credited their training at IISc and the atmosphere of intellectual exploration for giving them the confidence to think through such THAN JUST AN EXAMadvertisementThe event wasn't just about exams. Nobel Laureate Anne L'Huillier kicked things off with a keynote lecture. Talks on cutting-edge topics like gravitational wave detection and photonics visited top research hubs -- the ALBA Synchrotron and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) -- and attended entrepreneurial sessions with founders from deep-tech startups.A SLICE OF BARCELONA AND BIG DREAMSThe experience was as much cultural as academic. The students explored Barcelona's historic streets, visited iconic sites like the Cathedral of Barcelona and Montjuc hill, and even checked out the current stadium of FC travel and participation were supported by the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs (ODAA), IISc. The achievement has sparked excitement on campus and may well inspire a new wave of Indian physics students to dream bigger on the international stage.
