New Delhi, 19 September 2025: Prof. Sushant Ghosh and Dr. Misba Afrin from the Centre for Theoretical Physics (CTP), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), have been honored with the IOP Publishing 2025 Top Cited Paper Award (India) in the field of Astrophysics and Astronomy. This distinguished award is presented to the top 1% most-cited research papers in the subject, and notably, JMI secured two out of the three awards given in this category in India this year.
The recognition celebrates two highly impactful papers published in The Astrophysical Journal: “Tests of Loop Quantum Gravity from the Event Horizon Telescope Results of Sgr A” and “Testing Horndeski Gravity from EHT Observational Results for Rotating Black Holes.” These works have gained significant international citations, underscoring their major contributions to black hole science and the testing of fundamental gravity theories.
Prof. Sushant Ghosh, who heads CTP at JMI, is a globally acclaimed researcher specializing in black hole physics, general relativity, and astrophysics. With multiple international collaborations and honors including a 2018 Fulbright Fellowship and the President of India’s Award for Research, he has also spearheaded research leadership roles within JMI.
Dr. Misba Afrin, a National Postdoctoral Fellow at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, completed her PhD under Prof. Ghosh’s guidance at JMI. A Gold Medalist in M.Sc., she has contributed substantially to studies on black hole shadows, gravitational lensing, and gravity tests through Event Horizon Telescope observations.
This latest accolade brings the total number of IOP India awards in Astrophysics earned by Prof. Ghosh and his team to seven since 2022. Commenting on the achievement, Prof. Ghosh remarked, “This award is a proud moment for our Black Hole group at CTP. Dr. Misba Afrin is among the brightest minds I have supervised, and it is inspiring to see her exceptional contributions recognized early in her career.”
JMI Vice Chancellor Prof. Mazhar Asif and Registrar Prof. Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi extended their heartfelt congratulations, expressing pride in the researchers’ accomplishment. They emphasized that such prestigious honors highlight the university’s commitment to research excellence, innovation, and international scientific influence.
IOP Publishing, headquartered in the UK, is a premier scientific society dedicated to advancing physics globally. Its Top Cited Paper Award honors research that has profoundly influenced the scientific community worldwide.
This award reinforces Jamia Millia Islamia’s status as a prominent center for groundbreaking research and serves as an inspiration to emerging scholars.
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