We live in a world in which science, from mathematics through to biology and computer science, affects us all. By encouraging the full development of science across disciplines we help to shape the future. –Michael Atiyah TATA INSTITUTE OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH CONTENTS FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK PAGE 2 THE ROAD TRAVELLED PAGE 4 ICTS AT TEN PAGE 5 RESEARCH PAGE 6 PROGRAMS PAGE 12 OUTREACH PAGE 18 ORGANISATION PAGE 22 CAMPUS PAGE 24 BrochurePAGE 21 Editorial Team–Ananya Dasgupta, Parul Sehgal, Renu Singh Design–Anisha Heble, Juny K Wilfred I would describe ICTS with three words: Bold, Deliberate, Effective. Bold in its vision for its role in the Indian and international scientific community. Deliberate in its assessments of opportunity and in charting its path. Effective in supporting its faculty to achieve the full potential. –Stan Whitcomb, Caltech FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK “In our acquisition of knowledge of the universe (whether As an institution in its childhood, at ICTS there is a mathematical or otherwise) that which renovates the quest notion of playfulness and, perhaps, naivety in our is nothing more or less than complete innocence ... approach to all matters. We have a brand new campus It alone can unite humility with boldness so as to allow us to like a new toy in the hands of our youthful faculty and penetrate to the heart of things ... ” students as well as enthusiastic admin staff - who are all Alexander Grothendieck (From “Reaping and Sowing”) eager to try new things, to do things differently. In short, to create a different ethos. After all, doing science is fun Grothendieck, in his wonderfully lyrical passage, had in and we shouldn’t lose sight of that (or horror, destroy mind the individual scientist and his or her, often, lonely it!) while we put in place institutional structures. It has quest. But I like to believe that, in essence, it also applies been a real pleasure to work these last few years with all to the spirit of a scientific institution. What is it that the members of the ICTS extended family in a spirit of gives a certain scientific environment that intangible camaraderie as we gradually made more and more of our zing which allows new paths to be charted, enables new campus functional and welcomed scientists to our first breakthroughs (“to penetrate to the heart of things”)? in-house programs. I like to believe that, beyond all the basic infrastructure, research support and other such essentials (not to And how fitting it was with this spirit when we learnt underplay their importance), something more must that seven of our family, including even a beginning be present in the air. And perhaps one element of this graduate student, had participated in one of the most something is innocence. remarkable scientific discoveries in recent times - the PAGE 2 LIGO detection of gravitational waves emitted from the merger of a pair of giant black holes over a billion years ago. The vibrations from that event lingered long in the air at ICTS - we all partook a little from the thrill of gazing at the “Universe in a New Light”. And for Diwali 2017, we delighted in the Cosmic Fireworks when news came of colliding neutron stars. When we brought Kip Thorne over to give our inaugural Vishveshwara public lecture in 2018, we were overwhelmed by the response - the event felt like a rock concert! Our programs with their visitors (some from as far away as Chile or Colombia) rejuvenated us too with the scientific excitement they shared, whether it was and the public in Bangalore city, in association with about the second quantum revolution, machine learning, the Nehru Planetarium, by distinguished scientists in universality in sandpiles, understanding evolution Bengaluru and program visitors. In summer 2019, we quantitatively or observing the birth of the universe. have launched a pilot "Maths Circle" in cooperation With nearly thirty programs and discussion meetings with NIAS-Bangalore for nurturing special talent in having more than eighteen hundred participants mathematics amongst 9th and 10th graders. Stay tuned (including around four hundred from abroad) in the for further developments. last year, it was exhilarating to feel the energy of these activities course through the institute - the hubbub in the Our Resource Development and Societal Engagement cafeteria at mealtimes, the small groups huddled around Wing aims to create more such partnerships between corridor blackboards or at our new coffee corner. ICTS and the broader society we are embedded in. Through the “Friends of ICTS” program we invite We began the second decade of ICTS with a stellar everyone to get involved in our efforts and share the event celebrating the unity of science which featured excitement of our journey. As we complete ten years, talks by stalwarts in theoretical physics, mathematics, we are launching a drive to secure the future of ICTS by biology and theoretical computer science. It was a establishing an endowment, with an initial target of INR chance to look ahead to the areas where ICTS would 20 Crores (approx. USD 3 million). I am confident that like to grow in, while consolidating our strengths. We we can tap into the goodwill and appreciation of ICTS’ also aim to be hosting more of the Indian and world unique mission to reach and surpass this target. scientific community on our campus for one or other of our activities. Do come to ICTS and `Discover in India’. And as for our own researchers in the meanwhile, I am In addition to the grants from the Airbus and Simons confident that their sense of play uniting “humility with foundations, we are also glad to receive strong support boldness” will allow them to delve even deeper into the for our mission from the Infosys Foundation. Our flagship workings of the universe, in the years to come. Watch lecture series are now the ICTS Infosys Chandrasekhar/ this page and share our journey. Ramanujan/Turing Lectures. Emboldened by the success of our Einstein lectures, marking the centenary of general Rajesh Gopakumar relativity, we had embarked in 2016 on “Kaapi with Centre Director, ICTS–TIFR Kuriosity” - a science lecture series for schoolchildren June 2019 PAGE 3 THE ROAD TRAVELLED The idea to create the ICTS was born in 2001, after the success of the Strings 2001 conference at TIFR Mumbai and a visit to the Infosys Campus in Bangalore. The former boosted our confidence based on our achievement in fundamental physics and the latter assured us that institutional infrastructure and management of the highest international quality was possible in India. The visit to the Infosys campus happened at the insistence of Edward Witten who was keen to visit the ‘Temples of modern India.’ This combination of highest quality science within a modern state of the art campus, managed along modern resources and land to build the campus, work with the thoughts inspired the basic idea of the ICTS. What made architect for a design suitable for the ICTS mission, see ICTS unique in India was that it was to be an international through the execution of the architectural design, create hub that would transform the ways of doing scientific a modern administrative support system, choose the research and advanced science education. I sent a research areas and attract outstanding faculty within proposal to Infosys Technologies but they were not ready each! This complex task involved a huge collective effort to support this idea. In 2004, David Gross suggested that by members of TIFR (most notably Avinash Dhar), the the core funding must come from the government and Indian science community, and the Govt of India. Besides the way ahead. basic Govt support it was significant that ICTS received generous and crucial support from the Airbus Corporate The ICTS was approved by the TIFR Council in August Foundation, the Simons Foundation, the Infosys Science 2007 to be a multi and interdisciplinary centre with 3 Foundation and the Infosys Foundation. main goals -PROGRAMS that bring together physicists, astronomers, cosmologists, mathematicians, biologists, As it grew over the years, the Centre benefitted from the students and researchers from all over the world, under advice and blunt scrutiny of an International Advisory one roof, to work together to solve the most challenging Board of eminent scientists, and the strong support questions posed by nature, to discover the underlying and guidance of CNR Rao, K. Kasturirangan, H.R. structures across the sciences and to strive for the unity Krishnamurthy, K. VijayRaghavan, Marie-Claire Certiat, of knowledge; In-house RESEARCH by highest quality Kris Gopalakrishnan, Andy Millis, Ardhendu Pathak and faculty in the theoretical sciences; SCIENCE OUTREACH N. R. Narayana Murthy. that stimulate and harness young minds of India and The new ICTS campus in Bangalore was inaugurated connects with members of the public who are interested on 20 June 2015 and is now almost complete. In Rajesh in the latest scientific developments. Gopakumar, ICTS has got a very capable new Director The next task was to create the Centre i.e. begin the since August 2015 who is taking the Centre forward with programs and discussion meetings, find the government renewed vigour. During these past years ... (CONT.) PAGE 4 ICTS AT TEN In January 2018, ICTS celebrated its 10th year with a celebratory scientific gathering. We heard broad perspective talks from a galaxy of distinguished researchers on subjects ranging from Quantum Gravity, Astrophysics, Statistical Physics And Physical Biology to Theoretical Computer Science and Mathematics. There was an associated public lecture by Robbert Dijkgraaf, followed by a panel discussion, on the theme of the “Usefulness of Useless Knowledge”. ICTS at Ten was an opportunity for us to reflect on our journey thus far, plant the seeds for new initiatives and to pursue our dreams with renewed enthusiasm.