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Homi J. Bhabha
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Homi J. Bhabha

Nuclear physicist and father of India’s nuclear programme

30 October 1909 – 24 January 1966 India Verified by our editors
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56 yrs
1909 – 1966
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Homi J. Bhabha was a nuclear physicist who founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and led India’s atomic energy programme as first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is named after him.

Biography

Physicist

Born into a prominent Parsi family, Bhabha studied engineering and then theoretical physics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. His work on electron–positron scattering (Bhabha scattering, 1935) and, with Walter Heitler, on cosmic-ray showers made him one of the leading young physicists of his time. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1941.

Building Indian science

Stranded in India by the Second World War, he worked at the Indian Institute of Science and in 1945, with support from the Tata trusts, founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bombay. He became the first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission in 1948, set up the Atomic Energy Establishment at Trombay, and designed India’s three-stage nuclear power programme based on its thorium reserves. In 1955 he presided over the first UN conference on the peaceful uses of atomic energy.

Artist and patron

Bhabha was a talented painter and musician who designed the gardens and art collection of TIFR and Trombay. He was an early patron of Indian modernist painters such as M. F. Husain and S. H. Raza, and the TIFR art collection he began is now one of the most important in India.

Death

Bhabha died on 24 January 1966 when Air India Flight 101 crashed on Mont Blanc. The Trombay establishment was renamed the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in 1967.

Legacy

Bhabha’s vision of nuclear self-reliance — built on thorium, of which India has large reserves — still shapes India’s atomic energy programme. The country’s first research reactor, Apsara, went critical at Trombay in 1956, the first in Asia outside the Soviet Union. He was nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Timeline

  1. 1909

    Born in Bombay (Mumbai), Bombay Presidency

  2. 1935

    Bhabha scattering

  3. 1939

    Joins the Indian Institute of Science

    Under C. V. Raman.

  4. 1941

    Fellow of the Royal Society

  5. 1945

    Founds TIFR

  6. 1948

    Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission

  7. 1954

    Padma Bhushan; Trombay establishment opens

  8. 1955

    President, UN conference on peaceful uses of atomic energy

    Geneva.

  9. 1956

    Apsara, India’s first research reactor, goes critical

  10. 1966

    Dies in the Mont Blanc air crash

  11. 1967

    Trombay establishment renamed BARC in his honour

  12. 1966

    Died, aged 56

Awards and honours

  • Fellow of the Royal Society

    1941

  • Padma Bhushan

    1954

Did you know?

  1. 1

    He was a skilled painter and collector of modern Indian art.

  2. 2

    Apsara, built under him, was Asia’s first research reactor outside the Soviet Union.

  3. 3

    He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics several times.

Connections

Related people

Frequently asked

Who is Homi J. Bhabha?

Homi J. Bhabha was a nuclear physicist who founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and led India’s atomic energy programme as first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is named after him.

When did Homi J. Bhabha die?

Homi J. Bhabha died on 24 January 1966 at the age of 56.

Where is Homi J. Bhabha from?

Homi J. Bhabha was born in Bombay (Mumbai), Bombay Presidency.

What is Homi J. Bhabha known for?

Homi J. Bhabha is best known for Founding TIFR and the Atomic Energy Establishment (BARC); Bhabha scattering.

What awards has Homi J. Bhabha received?

Notable honours include Fellow of the Royal Society (1941), Padma Bhushan (1954).

References

  1. Homi J. Bhabha — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  2. Homi J. Bhabha — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  3. Homi J. Bhabha — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  4. Homi J. Bhabha (Q325611) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 26 October 2026.

External links

Wikipedia
Filed under BARCNuclear energyPadma BhushanPhysicsTIFR Physicist

About this profile

  • Researched by the TrackFame editors; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal
  • First published 26 October 2026
  • Last updated

Cite this page

“Homi J. Bhabha.” TrackFame, last updated 26 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/homi-j-bhabha

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