Prof Urbasi Sinha (second from the right) at the Gates-Cambridge Impact Prize 2025 Ceremony.
Credit: RRI
Bengaluru: Prof Urbasi Sinha, a faculty member in the Light and Matter Physics team at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru, was awarded the Gates-Cambridge Impact Prize 2025 on Thursday.
The award ceremony took place in Cambridge, UK, and was hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Gates-Cambridge Impact Prize was established to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship programme. Eligibility for the prize was extended to past recipients of the scholarship.
Prof Urbasi was among eight people from diverse fields recognised for their impactful contributions.
The citation for Urbasi's award mentioned her pioneering work in quantum computing: “Professor Urbasi Sinha’s vision and dedication are paving the way for a future where quantum computing serves as a catalyst for solving humanity’s most pressing issues, embodying the true spirit of science in service of global progress.”
Urbasi is a leading researcher in both quantum fundamentals and technologies and heads the Quantum Information and Computing (QuIC) lab at RRI. Her lab has been at the forefront of innovations in quantum communication, computation, optics, fundamentals, and information processing. She also holds key leadership positions within India's recently launched National Quantum Mission.
Among her many achievements include the Rashtriya Vigyan Yuva Puraskar awarded by the Government of India and the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Photonic Quantum Science and Technologies at the University of Calgary, Canada. Furthermore, she played a pivotal role in establishing the Open Quantum Institute (OQI) at CERN in March 2024, a groundbreaking multi-stakeholder institution.