A team of four undergraduate students from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has made India proud by securing the sixth position at the PLANCKS 2025 competition, a global theoretical physics contest. This is India’s best performance at the event so far. The contest was held from May 1 to 5 in Barcelona, Spain, and had 200 participants from 29 countries.

The students — Simar Narula, Ritabrata Ghosh, Susmit Roy, and Avik Das — call themselves the 'Denormalisation Group'. They won this chance by topping the Indian Young Physicist’s League (IYPL), which is India’s qualifying round for PLANCKS. All four are currently studying physics at IISc, with three in their second year and one in the first year.

A tough test of skills

PLANCKS stands for Physics League Across Numerous Countries for Kick-ass Students. It is known for being one of the most difficult exams in physics. The main event included a four-hour closed-book exam with very challenging problems. One of the hardest questions asked teams to calculate the time of the universe’s birth using data about dark matter, cosmological constants, and field equations.

The IISc team said in an interview that these were not regular textbook problems. They required “strong conceptual foundations, logical thinking, and calmness under pressure”. The students said the academic environment at IISc gave them the skills and confidence to tackle such difficult challenges.

PLANCKS 2025 was not only about solving problems. It began with a lecture by Nobel Laureate Anne L’Huillier and included talks on advanced topics like gravitational waves and photonics. Students also visited leading research centres such as ALBA Synchrotron and Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO). They attended sessions with deep-tech startup founders, which gave them new ideas and career inspiration.

Learning and fun in Barcelona

The team also enjoyed exploring Barcelona’s famous streets and landmarks, such as the Cathedral of Barcelona and Montjuïc Hill. They even visited the current stadium of FC Barcelona.

Their entire journey was supported by the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs (ODAA), IISc. The news of their achievement has spread across the IISc campus, inspiring other Indian students to dream big and aim for global success in science.

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