Rohini Madhusudan Godbole is a renowned Indian theoretical physicist, best known for her research in high-energy physics and particle physics. Born in Pune, Maharashtra, she earned her B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Pune in 1972, followed by an M.Sc. from IIT Bombay in 1974, where she was awarded the Institute’s Silver Medal for academic excellence. Later, she completed her Ph.D. in Physics from the State University of New York (Stony Brook) in 1979, specializing in theoretical particle physics.
Academic and Professional Journey
Rohini Godbole began her career at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai as a visiting fellow and later worked as a lecturer and reader at the University of Bombay. In 1995, she joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, where she held various key positions, including as a professor and chairperson of the Centre for High Energy Physics until 2018.
Over her career, Godbole also held visiting positions at prestigious institutions such as CERN (Geneva), DESY (Germany), and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (Trieste, Italy). She was involved in both national and international projects related to high-energy physics.
Research and Contributions
Her work primarily focused on the Standard Model of particle physics and Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) research, exploring phenomena like the Higgs boson and dark matter. She also made significant contributions to proton and photon structure studies and developed theoretical models to predict new particles at colliders like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Throughout her career, she published over 150 research papers, many of which are highly influential in the physics community.
Recognition and Legacy
Rohini Godbole was honored with several prestigious awards, including the Padma Shri in 2019 and the Ordre National du Mérite by the French government in 2021, recognizing her exceptional contributions to science and education. Her leadership extended to efforts in promoting women in science, where she actively participated in international initiatives to encourage more women to enter STEM fields.
Death
Rohini Godbole passed away on October 25, 2024, in Bengaluru after a brief illness, at the age of 71. Her passing has left a significant void in the scientific community, with many colleagues and students remembering her as an inspirational physicist and a mentor. Tributes poured in from across the world, celebrating her achievements in particle physics and her tireless efforts to advance women’s participation in STEM fields