In Memoriam

It is with great sadness that ICTP has learned of the death of Padma Kant Shukla, a frequent visitor to ICTP and a distinguished professor of physics at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.

Shukla, who was an important figure in the field of plasma physics and held the Ruhr University Bochum International Chair in the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, had participated in ICTP training activities in plasma physics for more than two decades, serving as a course director for workshops and colleges on plasma physics since 1995.

The day before his death,  he had been honoured  with India's "Hind Rattan Award" (The Jewel of India) by the Prime Minister of India in recognition of his contributions to physics at a ceremony in New Delhi.

Shukla was born in 1950 in Tulapur, India, and moved to Europe when he was 21 years old. He researched at the interface of condensed matter physics, astrophysics and plasma physics, and his results were published in numerous articles in high-ranking scientific journals such as Nature and Physical Review Letters.

Shukla's numerous honours, achievements and publications can be viewed on his  website  at Ruhr University Bochum. A more detailed remembrance can also be found on the Ruhr University Bochum website.