Meet Indian woman who captivated Oppenheimer's attention, the father of atomic bomb, she worked as..., her name is...

India.com

18-07-2025

Women are making tremendous advancements in a wide variety of fields and are leading the way for future generations of scientists through their research and discoveries. The presence and contributions of women in science and other disciplines are changing the scientific community. In this article, we will discuss the story of an Indian woman scientist, T.K. Radha, who entered her scientific career at a time when women were often not even permitted to enter laboratories.
Growing up in a traditional family in Kerala, Radha broke the traditional barriers set around women; she overcame obstacles to get to one of the world's greatest institutions — the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, USA — the same institution that was home to the legendary physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, also known as the 'Father of the Atom Bomb.'
Thayoor K. Radha started her journey in a traditional, male-dominated environment. In rural India, there was hardly any precedent for women entering the scientific world. Radha was born in 1938 in Thayyur, a small village that did not even have basic electricity. Using kerosene lamps during her studies, she was determined to pursue education and push the limits that were placed on women's access to scientific education.
When she started her physics studies in Madras, it was a brave act for a woman to even be attending university. Radha got to work with the famous physicist Alladi Ramakrishnan, who was in the process of building India's first fully modern institute for theoretical physics — the Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Radha was one of an extremely small number of women who would ultimately be a part of the first initiative of that institute. She followed her passion and did not back down, while most of the students were men. Radha was bright, focused, and courageous, and it showed.
T.K. Radha's story is not only a reflection of her academic brilliance, but mainly of resolve, spirit, and resilience against gender stereotypes. Her journey inspires generations of women to dream big and pursue science careers — regardless of the hardships.
T.K. Radha is more than eighty, and she lives in Edmonton, Canada. A 21st-century archivist should be commended for the revival of Radha's inspiring story, rediscovered from forgotten letters, academic records and oral history.
It was 1960s by this time Thayoor K. Radha's pioneering work was achieving worldwide notoriety. Her proficiency in quantum mechanics and particle physics gained the attention of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the 'father of the atomic bomb' and the director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. In 1965, a pivotal letter arrived: an invitation to join an esteemed group of physicists in the United States, where the foremost scientists were shaping the future of the world. This was a significant milestone in Radha's career, allowing her to gain access to the world stage as a woman from a community not generally characterized by its access to international travel.