Indian-Origin Professor Shrinivas R Kulkarni Wins Shaw Prize in Astronomy

May 23, 2024

Shrinivas R. Kulkarni, an astronomy professor with Indian roots who now lives in the US, has been given the prestigious Shaw Prize in Astronomy for 2024. He is known for being one of the first people to study millisecond pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and other changing celestial events.

Overview of the Shaw Prize

In 2002, the Hong Kong philanthropist Run Run Shaw set up the Shaw Prize, an international award. People who have made important achievements in Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences are honored with this award. All three of these prizes are given out every year and each one is worth USD 1.2 million.

Contributions of Shrinivas R Kulkarni

One of Shrinivas R. Kulkarni’s most important accomplishments is leading the creation of the Palomar Transient Factory and its successor, the Zwicky Transient Facility. By keeping an eye on how many stellar events change over time, these projects have made huge steps forward in our understanding of the time-varying optical sky.

Educational Background and Career

In 1978, Kulkarni got his Master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology. The next year, he got his PhD from the University of California. He served as the director of Caltech Optical Observatories from 2006 to 2018 and is the George Ellery Hale Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Caltech.

Who is Run Run Shaw?

One of the biggest film production companies in Hong Kong was started by Run Run Shaw, a businessman and philanthropist from Hong Kong. Born in Ningbo, China, in 1907, he was a major force in making kung fu movies like “The One Armed Swordsman” famous around the world. Shaw also started TVB (Television Broadcast Limited) in 1967, which had a big impact on Asian television. He gave more than $1 billion to medical and educational centres around the world. Shaw was made a knight in 1977 and died in 2014 at the age of 106.

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