Currently serving as a Distinguished Professor of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Professor Ajoy Ghatak has shaped quantum mechanics and optics education in India for over five decades. A former professor at IIT Delhi, where he established the Fiber Optics Research Group, he has published over 170 research papers and authored more than 20 books translated into multiple languages.

His quantum mechanics textbook, co-authored with Professor S. Lokanathan, reached its 7th edition in 2025—50 years after initial publication—while his optics textbook is now in its 8th edition. Both continue to serve as foundational texts for generations of students in India and beyond.

At 85, Ghatak remains active in education, most recently organizing workshops on quantum mechanics. In his honor, IIT Delhi established the “Prof Ajoy K. Ghatak Chair” for Photonics in recognition of his contributions to the field, and his former students continue to work in photonics across India and internationally.