Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 12: High Energy Physics (HEP) Group from the Department of Physics, University of Jammu, has been recognized as part of the International team awarded the Breakthrough Prize 2025 in Fundamental Physics – referred to as the “Oscars of Science.”
Vice-Chancellor of JU, Prof Umesh Rai described it as a matter of great pride not just for the university but for the nation.
“It is a breakthrough prize for this group, and a tremendous honour for the entire institution and the country that the University of Jammu’s significant contributions have been recognized internationally,” he said, while talking to media persons during an interaction with the High Energy Physics Group for sharing insights into their contribution to CERN’s ALICE experiment and the broader impact of the work.
Prof Rai congratulated Prof Anju Bhasin and her team for their outstanding achievement and emphasized that such global collaborations provide invaluable exposure to students, scholars and faculty, opening up new frontiers of research and innovation. “This achievement has not only enhanced our national presence but also significantly contributed to building our global footprint,” he added.
Prof Anju Bhasin, who led the High Energy Physics Group at the University, spoke about JU role in the prestigious ALICE collaboration at CERN. She highlighted that the University’s contribution, particularly the design and development of the Photon Multiplicity Detector (PMD), has been vital in the study of Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) – a state of matter believed to have existed moments after the Big Bang.
The Breakthrough Prize honours thousands of researchers from over 70 countries representing four major experimental collaborations at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb. The $3 million prize was awarded for investigations into the properties of the hottest and densest matter created in laboratory conditions.
At JU, the ALICE team headed by Prof Anju Bhasin, comprised Prof Sanjeev Singh Sambyal, Prof Ramni Gupta, Anik Gupta (Scientist ‘G’), Dr Rajendra Patra, Sanjay Mahajan, and Dr Renu Bala (Project Scientist). Six faculty members, one postdoctoral researcher, and several research scholars from the University are actively engaged in the ALICE experiment.
Prof Neelu Rohmetra, Dean Research Studies; Prof Arun Bharti, HoD Physics; Prof S S Sambyal, Anik Gupta, Sanjay Mahajan were also present in the press conference.
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