Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Students Achieve India’s Highest Ever Rank at Prestigious World Physics Challenge

A team of young enthusiasts of physics has just created history by securing the 6 th position at the PLANCKS 2025, organized by the Royal Spanish Society of Physics student group and IAPS,  that is the World Physics Challenge which was held recently in Barcelona. And guess what? It is the best ranking any Indian team has ever reached in this prestigious foreign tournament!

The ‘Denormalisation Group', as they call themselves, are four undergrad physics students at IISc: Simar Narula, Ritabrata Ghosh, Susmit Roy, and Avik Das. What could be cooler? Three of them are sophomores, and one is a freshman only! They qualified by finishing on top of the Indian Young Physicist League (IYPL) which is essentially the most difficult physics qualifier in India.

The Indian Young Physicist League (IYPL) is an annual online theoretical physics competition at the national level in which teams of theoretically inclined physics enthusiasts all over India participate and solve difficult physics problems. It is the official national qualifying round to PLANCKS and the winning team gets the privilege of representing India at this esteemed international event.

In case you have been wondering what is so special about PLANCKS; well, here is the low down, it is a ridiculously hard, four-hour theoretical physics test, which challenges your knowledge on mind boggling concepts such as dark matter, universe creation and complicated field equations. The problems are not of the ordinary textbook type, they involve intense thinking, imagination and the nerves of steel.

It is through the lively academic environment and rigorous  training in their institute that the IISc team managed to work so hard. It was worth their preparation!

However, PLANCKS 2025 was not all about the exam. It was a conference full of thrilling moments, a keynote address by a Nobel Laureate Anne L’Huillier , talks on gravitational waves, photonics among others. The students also visited spectacular research facilities such as the ALBA Synchrotron and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO). And they had a chance to talk to founders of deep-tech startups, where science and innovation are mixed.

And how can one miss attending to the culture of Barcelona on a visit to this beautiful city? The IISc group visited famous landmarks such as the Cathedral of Barcelona, the Montjuc hill, and even the mythical FC Barcelona stadium. It turned out to be the best combination of studying and recreation.

It is a big deal in Indian physics education. The team has succeeded with the support of the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at IISc, which has motivated students across the nation. It demonstrates that passions and hard work can make Indian students competitive on the global scale and make them victors.

Cheers then, to the IISc ‘Denormalisation Group’ - the young Indians who have placed India on the world physics map! Their success story is a testimony of what commitment and the right learning environment can accomplish. To all the future physicists, this is your hint to think big and reach high.

More such inspiring tales of the education front in India are on the way!