Oskar Klein memorial lecture 2026

Gravity from strings and strings from gravity

Prof. Ashoke Sen (ICTS, Bangalore)

22 October 2026, 15:15 - The Oskar Klein auditorium (FR4)

In the first part of the talk I shall describe how string theory leads us to a consistent quantum theory of gravity. In the second part I shall describe how the presence of string landscape has prevented us from making a definite testable prediction until now, but how the same landscape allows us to address outstanding puzzles involving quantum theory of black holes. In the third part I shall describe how the study of some properties of black holes leads to the conclusion that string theory is not only capable of explaining those properties, but may also be necessary  for explaining those properties.

About the Speaker:

Ashoke Sen is an Indian theoretical physicist renowned for transformative contributions to string theory. His work has been instrumental in uncovering the unifying structure underlying different formulations of string theory and in advancing our understanding of fundamental interactions. Widely regarded as one of the architects of modern string theory, he has shaped the development of the field through a series of influential theoretical breakthroughs, including work recognized by the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for helping establish the idea that all string theories represent different limits of a single underlying theory.