Sudhanshu Shekhar Jha received his BSc (Hons) degree in Physics from Patna Science College, Patna, in 1957, after which he joined the Atomic Energy Establishment Trombay (now Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) Training School, and then the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai. He obtained his M.S. (1962) and Ph.D.(1965) degrees from Stanford University, under the guidance of Felix Bloch. After doing his post-doctoral work (1967-68) at Harvard University with N Bloembergen, on nonlinear optical properties of metals and semiconductors, he worked at  and visited IBM Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, several times, beginning 1968-69. Jha received DSc (hc) by the University of Burdwan (2001). He retired from TIFR (2002) as Distinguished Professor and Director. He has been a Distinguished Guest Professor at IIT Bombay from 2002 to 2012, and has made several summer research-collaboration visits to Michigan State University at East Lansing, MI, during this period.During 2013 & 2014, he has made similar visits to Oklahoma State University, Stillwater,OK. At present, he is teaching at UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, University of Mumbai Vidyanagari Campus, Mumbai 400 098, as a Distinguished Guest Faculty.

Academic and Research Achievements: Major research contributions of Professor Jha relate to: (i)Nonlinear opto-electronic properties of metals, semiconductors, insulators and plasmas in the presence of intense optical fields, which included the pioneering work on optical nonlinearities at a metal surface; (ii) Use of laser Raman spectroscopy to investigate processes occurring at very short timescales and at smaller spatial dimensions; (iii) Excitonic pairing mechanism for superconductivity in semi-metals and heterostructures, and theory of high-Tc superconductivity in layered materials;  (iv) Stability of the ground state of magnetic dipolar systems of uncharged fermions, like neutrinos. He has published more than 150 research papers in refereed journals, and has guided several PhD students.

Other Contributions: Jha has worked on two Commissions of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics; Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, Government of India(1997-98); Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research(1993-96); Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences( BRNS, DAE), as Chairman (1993-97); Governing Council, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, as Chairman(2001-2007); UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research,Indore, as Chairman (2002-08); Governing Council, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata( 1998-2004);Governing  Board ,Institute of Mathematical Sciences,Chennai( 1997- ); General Body,Centre for Soft Matter Research, Bangalore ( 1994- ) ;and TIFR PhD Graduate School Committee, as Chairman (1969-74). He served as a Member of the INSA Council (1999-2001), and as a Vice-President of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, (1989-91).