Prof. Harish Chandra Verma

(MSc2/PhD/PHY/1978/1981)

Prof. Harish Chandra Verma is an eminent Indian experimental physicist, author and educator whose work has made a lasting contribution to physics research and physics education in India. He is currently a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Applied Physics at Delhi Technological University and was formerly a Professor in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is best known for his two-volume textbook Concepts of Physics, which has become one of India's most influential physics textbooks for students preparing for engineering and science entrance examinations.
Prof. Verma completed his B.Sc. (Hons.) in Physics from Patna Science College in 1975 and received his M.Sc. in Physics from IIT Kanpur in 1978. He subsequently pursued his Ph.D. in Physics at IIT Kanpur, completing it in 1981. His doctoral research was conducted under the supervision of Prof. G. N. Rao and Prof. R. M. Singru and focused on experimental nuclear physics. He began his academic career at Patna Science College, where he served as Lecturer and Reader from 1979 to 1994. He joined the Department of Physics at IIT Kanpur as an Assistant Professor in 1994 and remained at the institute until his retirement in 2017.
During his academic career, his research interests included experimental nuclear physics, ion-beam material modification, magnetic nanomaterials, nanocrystalline magnetic materials and alloys, and related materials applications. He has authored 139 research papers in reputed journals.
Alongside his research, Prof. Verma has made an extraordinary contribution to physics education. His two-volume Concepts of Physics, first published in 1992, has become a foundational text for generations of students preparing for competitive examinations and undergraduate physics courses. He has also authored Quantum Physics and produced extensive lecture material on nuclear physics and other areas of science. His teaching philosophy emphasises conceptual understanding, experimentation and the ability to approach physical problems through first principles.
Prof. Verma has also worked extensively to improve science teaching beyond the university classroom. He has developed hundreds of low-cost physics experiments that can be used by teachers as classroom demonstrations and has produced Hindi-language video lectures to make science education more accessible to students from Hindi-medium backgrounds. Through the National Anveshika Network of India and his work with the Indian Association of Physics Teachers, he has promoted hands-on and experimental approaches to physics education.
His commitment to education extends to underserved communities. He has been instrumental in establishing and developing Shiksha Sopan, a social and educational initiative involving IIT Kanpur faculty, students and local communities to support children from economically weaker sections in villages around the IIT Kanpur campus. Through educational centres, scholarships, teacher-training programs and outreach activities, the initiative has sought to improve access to quality education and encourage scientific thinking.
Prof. Verma's contributions have been recognised through several prestigious honours. He received the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar in 2017 for his contribution to education and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2020, which was presented on 8 November 2021, in recognition of his contribution to physics education. On 18 December 2021, he received the Doctor of Science (D.Sc.), Honoris Causa, from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur at its 67th convocation. In 2022, he was recognised as an Institute Fellow of IIT Kanpur during the institute's Foundation Day celebrations on 2 November. He was subsequently conferred an honorary degree by Uttarakhand Technical University on 10 October 2023, at the university's seventh convocation. In 2025, he was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), further recognising his contributions to science and education.
In March 2026, Prof. Verma joined Delhi Technological University as a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Applied Physics, bringing more than three decades of teaching, research and science-education experience to the institution. His continued engagement with teaching, research and outreach reflects his enduring commitment to making physics accessible and meaningful to young learners.
Through his research, widely influential textbooks, innovative teaching methods and sustained work with students, teachers and underserved communities, Prof. Verma has played a unique role in advancing both the practice and popularisation of physics in India.
Honouring his pioneering contributions to Physics Research and Science Education, and his enduring impact on generations of learners, IIT Kanpur confers upon Prof. Harish Chandra Verma the Distinguished Alumni Award 2026 under the category of Academic Excellence.