Indian theoretical physicist Ashoke Sen of ICTS Bengaluru is the 2026 Oskar Klein Memorial Lecturer and medallist, recognising his work on string theory.

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• Ashoke Sen is listed as the 2026 Oskar Klein Memorial Lecturer by Stockholm University's Oskar Klein Centre.
• Sen is a professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences in Bengaluru, where he holds the ICTS-Infosys Madhava Chair.
• Each year the organising committee invites a distinguished researcher to give the memorial lecture and receive the Klein medal.
• The memorial lectures honour Swedish theoretical physicist Oskar Klein and have been organised since 1988.
• Earlier lecturers include Kip Thorne in 2016, Lisa Randall in 2019 and Igor Klebanov in 2022.
• Sen works on string theory, with research interests in S-duality, tachyon condensation, black hole entropy and superstring perturbation theory.
• He was among the first recipients of the Fundamental Physics Prize, now known as the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, in 2012.
• His other honours include the Dirac Medal in 2014, the Padma Bhushan in 2013 and the Padma Shri in 2001.
• In April 2026 he was elected an international honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
• Sen is also a Fellow of the Royal Society.