M.D. Srinivas

M.D. Srinivas is a physicist who turned to the history of India’s own science, especially the remarkable mathematics of medieval Kerala. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of science and engineering, from Tamil Nadu ^[1].

Quantum physicist

Mandyam Doddamane Srinivas was born on 2 October 1950 in Bengaluru ^[2]. He studied physics at Bangalore University and earned his PhD from the University of Rochester in 1976 under Emil Wolf ^[2]. He taught theoretical physics at the University of Madras until 1996, working on the foundations of quantum mechanics and quantum optics, including a theory of continuous measurement that explains photon-counting experiments ^[2].

The Kerala school

From the late 1970s, he and colleagues began studying India’s scientific traditions ^[2]. Working with K.V. Sarma and others, they studied key texts of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics, showing how its scholars discovered infinite series and developed planetary models centuries before similar work in Europe ^[2]. He has pioneered the study of upapattis, or proofs, in Indian mathematics ^[2].

Centre for Policy Studies

In 1990 he co-founded the Centre for Policy Studies in Chennai, which he chairs ^[2]. He has been vice-chairman of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla, and in 2023 was elected a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy for his work in the history and philosophy of science ^[2].