Homi J. Bhabha

About

Homi Jehangir Bhabha was an eminent Indian nuclear theoretical physicist widely recognized as the father of the Indian nuclear program. Educated at the University of Cambridge, Bhabha made foundational contributions to theoretical physics, including the mathematical explanation of relativistic electron-positron scattering, a phenomenon now known as Bhabha scattering, as well as work on cosmic rays and the cascade process of electron showers. Following the outbreak of World War II, Bhabha returned to India and joined the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore as a reader under Nobel laureate C. V. Raman. Recognizing the critical importance of nuclear research for national development, Bhabha persuaded the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust to establish the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai in 1945, serving as its founding director. In 1948, he became the first Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India, establishing the country's three-stage nuclear power program designed to utilize indigenous thorium reserves. Bhabha also founded the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay in 1954, which was later renamed the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in his honor. A Fellow of the Royal Society and recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Bhabha represented India on international scientific platforms, serving as President of the United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955. He died in a plane crash near Mont Blanc in 1966.

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