Dr Thinu Padmanabhan got the first prize of Gravity Research Foundation this year for his research, which has implications for the study of black holes and quantum gravity.
Dean of core academic programmes at Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (AUCAA) in Pune, Padmanabhan describes in his work a new paradigm for viewing gravity as an "emergent phenomenon", a release said.
The Foundation offers five awards every year for work in the field of gravitation. The first prize carries an amount of USD 5,000.
Padmanabhan was awarded Padma Shri last year for his contribution to science and engineering.