Prof. Jainendra K. Jain is the Erwin W. Mueller Professor of Physics at Pennsylvania State University. He is a condensed matter theorist with interests in the area of strongly interacting electronic systems in low dimensions. Born in 1960 in Rajasthan, India, he received his Bachelor's degree from Maharaja College, Jaipur and a Master's from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. In 1985, he completed his Ph.D in Physics at the Stony Brook University.
From 1986 to 1988, Prof. Jain worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Maryland and later joined the Yale University where he worked from 1988 to 1989. He then joined SUNY, Stony Brook where he served as Assistant, Associate and Full Professor. Since 1998, he has been at The Pennsylvania State University as the Erwin W. Mueller Professor of Physics. In April 2012, Penn State University awarded Prof. Jain with Evan Pugh Professorship. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
Prof. Jain is known for his theoretical work on quantum many body systems. His most important contribution has been the introduction of electron-flux combinations called "composite fermions". These particles constitute the basis for the understanding of the remarkable properties of the novel quantum fluid formed when electrons are confined to two dimensions and subjected to a strong magnetic field, including the phenomenon of the fractional quantum Hall effect. His writings include a monograph Composite Fermions, published by Cambridge University Press, 2007.
