Spenta Rustom Wadia obtained BSc (1971) from University of Bombay, MSc (1973) from IIT Kanpur, and PhD (1978) from City University of New York. Thereafter, he has worked as the Enrico Fermi Institute Fellow, University of Chicago (1978-80), as Staff Scientist, University of Chicago (1980-82), Faculty Member (1982- ), Senior Professor and Chair, Department of Theoretical Physics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). He is also Director, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, TIFR.

Academic and Research Achievements: Wadia's research contributions mainly cover quantum field theory, string theory and black hole physics. His notable researches relate to the discovery of the gauge fixing ambiguity in gauge theories, the 3rd order large N phase transition in gauge theories (Gross-Witten-Wadia transition) and its application to the resolution singularities in General Relativity, the dilaton black hole solution, non-critical string theory, emergence of new space/time dimension in string theory from Liouville mode, and microscopic derivation of Hawking radiation of the near-extremal D1-D5 black hole. He has also mentored seven students for PhD.

Other Contributions: Wadia contributed to the growth of the string theory and related theoretical physics activity in India and other Asian countries. He initiated the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences of TIFR in 2007 and also served on the International Advisory Committee of the Annual String Theory Conference. He was Member, Commission on Mathematical Physics, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) (1997-99-2002).

Awards and Honours: Professor Wadia was conferred many awards, notably the JC Bose Fellowship by the Department of Science and Technology (2006), CV Raman Lecture Award by the Indian Physics Association (2005), TWAS Physics Prize (2004), and Steven Weinberg Prize by the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy (1995). He was elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore (1992), New York Academy of Sciences (1997), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (1996), National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad (2000), the Academy of Sciences of the Developing World (TWAS), Trieste, Italy (2006). He is Staff Associate, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy (1996-2001).