To honour the legacy of its Founder Director, Dr K. S. Krishnan, the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, organised the annual Dr K. S. Krishnan Memorial Lecture on 16th June 2025. The event also commemorated the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025. CSIR-NPL, a premier national research institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has held this lecture series since 1965, celebrating Dr Krishnan’s pioneering contributions to science by inviting eminent scientists of global repute. Over the decades, the platform has hosted Nobel Laureates and renowned scientific minds. 

 

This year’s lecture was delivered by Prof. Ganapathy Baskaran, Distinguished Professor at IIT Madras, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Canada, and Matscience, Chennai. He was the Chief Guest for the occasion. 

Dr Nita Dilawar, Director’s representative, CSIR-NPL, highlighted Dr Krishnan’s instrumental contributions to Indian science and technology. She spoke on the essential role of metrology in industrial development, international trade, and societal progress, while emphasising the growing impact of quantum science on modern metrology. She also detailed the valuable contributions made by CSIR and CSIR-NPL to India’s scientific landscape. 

 

Delivering his talk titled “Prediction of Room Temperature Superconductivity in Graphite, K. S. Krishnan’s Favourite Mineral”, Prof. Ganapathy Baskaran paid tribute to Dr Krishnan’s legacy and his seminal work in light scattering, magnetic susceptibility, quantum mechanics, thermionics, thermal conductivity, and alloy resistivity. He discussed the unique properties of graphite and carbon-based materials and delved into the physics driving their superconductivity. Prof. Baskaran elaborated on the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) and Resonating Valence Bond (RVB) theories, explaining how the RVB model provides insight into achieving room temperature superconductivity in doped graphene and graphite. 

 

As part of the memorial programme, CSIR-NPL also hosted a “Workshop on Quantum Metrology, Materials and Technologies” on 10th June 2025. The Chief Guest was Prof. T. Ramasami, Former Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and Chairman of the K. S. Krishnan Memorial Trust. Research scholars and student interns from CSIR-NPL participated actively, presenting their research and project work. Thirteen outstanding participants were honoured with Best Presentation Awards for their contributions.