Kishori Mohan Pathak, the first doctor of physics at Gauhati University (Assam, India) and founding vice-chancellor of Central Tezpur University, passed away in June 2023 at the age of 93.
Pathak completed his master’s degree in physics from the University of Calcutta in 1956, with a specialisation in nuclear physics and cosmic radiation. The following year, he started as a lecturer in physics at Cotton College, Guwahati. With his zeal to scale new heights, he left for England and started research at Durham University under the guidance of Astronomer Royal Arnold W Wolfendale. He received his PhD in 1967 for his work on high-energy cosmic rays.
It is praiseworthy that instead of continuing research abroad in highly sophisticated labs, Kishori returned to his native land with a strong determination to motivate the talented young people of the region towards higher studies in the upcoming field of cosmic-ray physics. Soon after returning to Assam in 1969, he successfully established a research group in the physics department of Gauhati University, which was dedicated to studies of the electromagnetic radiation at radio and optical Cherenkov frequencies from ultra-high-energy (> 1016 eV) cosmic-ray showers. His research activities saw him visit and interact with cosmic-ray physicists at CERN and Munich University, and in 1995 he was recognised by his election as a fellow of the UK Institute of Physics.
As well as cosmic-ray physics, Kishori Pathak collaborated with geologists at Gauhati University. Using the technique of fission track dating, he successfully dated rocks and minerals of the Meghalaya Plateau in the northeastern region of India for the first-time, providing data of great importance in determining the geological formation of the plateau as well as the natural resources for the economic development of the region. He also extensively studied the probable effect of uranium content in water from various sources of the whole of the northeastern region of India, which had a high incidence of cancer, and in the 1980s made extensive futurological studies on the problems of higher education in the region. This experience helped Pathak while setting up the Central University of Tezpur, which is now one of the most sought-after institutions of higher education in India, with a national and international reputation. In recognition of his contributions towards society, he received the Outstanding Service Gold Medal from the Governor of Assam in 1991 and was selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award in the 2023 State Science Awards.
Kishori Pathak will be remembered as a brilliant cosmic-ray physicist and a great academician who worked wholeheartedly throughout his entire life to uplift the people around him.
