Atish Dabholkar, Director of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, spoke to FirstPrinciples about its storied history — and ambitions for the future.
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) was founded in 1964 by Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Abdus Salam. Fuelled by its founder’s belief that science is the common heritage and creation of humanity, it has grown into a centre of international significance over the last 60 years.
But even Salam — who served as the centre’s director for nearly 30 years — wasn’t sure he could’ve created ICTP were it not for the unique conditions of the era. In the wake of World War II, there was widespread enthusiasm for peace and recognition of the importance of high-energy physics, which helped convince governments and policymakers to invest in theoretical science. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the so-called “father of the atomic bomb” himself, served as the first chair of ICTP’s scientific council.
Against that backdrop, with a great deal of help from Italian physicist Paolo Budinich, Salam founded ICTP in Trieste, a picturesque Italian city on the Adriatic Sea, not far from Slovenia, Austria, and Croatia.
“Trieste is very international in its makeup, at the border of East and West,” says Atish Dabholkar, who took over as only the fifth director in the centre’s history in 2019.“It really perfectly fits the spirit of ICTP.”
ICTP is a UN organization governed by a tripartite agreement between the Italian government; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Science without borders
From the beginning, ICTP was envisioned as a place where scientists could work collaboratively, regardless of geopolitics. The centre’s very first scientific event brought together Soviet, American, and European scientists to discuss plasma physics in the midst of the Cold War.
That notion of science without borders is central to ICTP’s DNA.
“There are many other places in the world that also do great science, but I think ICTP’s mission is what makes it truly unique,” says Dabholkar, who grew up in a small village in India and completed his PhD at Princeton. After working at Rutgers, Harvard, and Caltech, he decided to return to India, believing he would receive greater satisfaction from contributing to science in his home country. He then spent nearly 15 years as a professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai before moving to Europe.
“ICTP gives me the opportunity to contribute not only to Indian science, but global science at large,” Dabholkar says. “We are a safe haven for science. Here, you will regularly see American and Iranian scientists collaborating, or Indian and Pakistani scientists. The role of ICTP is perhaps even more important now than it was in the ’60s.”
ICTP's global impact
ICTP annually hosts approximately 6,000 visiting scientists from over 150 countries, and it has welcomed 22 Fields Medallists and 108 Nobel laureates over the years. The centre has also helped train more than 4,500 students and researchers from 108 developing countries.
Since its inception, ICTP has hosted an Associates program designed for mid-career scientists from developing countries to come to ICTP for extended visits to recharge their batteries and connect with experts they may not have access to in their home countries.
In the last 15 years, ICTP has sought to extend its impact by opening partner institutes: the ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research in São Paulo, Brazil; Mesoamerican Centre for Theoretical Physics in Chiapas, Mexico; East African Institute of Fundamental Research in Kigali, Rwanda; and ICTP-Asia Pacific in Beijing, China. They’ve experienced varying levels of success with those efforts.
“You need strong support from the local university. You need strong support from local funding agencies. And you need a top scientist who is willing to invest their time and energy,” says Dabholkar. “I think the basic idea is a very good one, but we need to be more thoughtful in our implementation.”
Celebrating 60 years of ICTP
Dabholkar is, understandably, in a reflective mood these days; milestones tend to have that effect.
ICTP has been celebrating its 60th anniversary with a series of events spanning four continents, from São Paulo, Hanoi, and Macao to Paris and, naturally, Trieste. They’re also hoping to host an event at the United Nations in New York City early in 2025.
These events have reflected on ICTP’s impact since 1964, including testimonials from some of the researchers whose careers have been impacted so deeply. Dabholkar also hosted a series of “Dirac conversations” with former winners of the prestigious ICTP Dirac Medal, including Subir Sachdev, Dam Thanh Son, and Edward Witten.
But for all the well-deserved celebration of the past, Dabholkar seems much more focused on ICTP’s future.
“I think it’s a fair ambition to think of ICTP at least doubling its influence by 2064,” he says. “Scientific excellence is at the core of what we do, first and foremost. But we also have an opportunity to be an international consortium for addressing global challenges and making scientific tools globally available. In some ways, it is our obligation to do this because nobody else can.”
To that end, ICTP’s anniversary year has included signing several new partnerships aimed at advancing global science, including with the African Union and Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. The centre also launched the International Consortium for Scientific Computing, which will seek to reduce the divide in global access to computational resources, and signed a partnership with IBM to create a new prize aimed at recognizing major contributions in the field of artificial intelligence.
Looking ahead: ICTP in 2064
Reflecting its international focus, ICTP’s recent conference in Trieste welcomed participants from 38 countries spanning five continents, representing academia, government, private foundations, and the UN system.
Dabholkar delivered a keynote address outlining his vision for ICTP’s next 40 years, followed by three forward-looking panels:
“ICTP at the Frontiers of Science” focused on the continuing importance of basic research globally.
“The Future of Computing and Quantum Science” tackled the challenge in ensuring equitable access to new technologies tied to artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and quantum computing.
“Global Science for Climate and Energy” underscored the tension between our need for climate change action and growing energy needs, particularly in the Global South, where large segments of the population still lack access to electricity.
Dabholkar, who was recently appointed to a second five-year term as director, is clearly energized by ICTP’s evolving mission.
“Open science in the coming era necessitates open access to computational resources,” Dabholkar says. “Technology is now central to the way science is done. If technological opportunities are not equitably available, the knowledge divide is only going to increase.”
He continues: “The challenges we face are very different than they were when Salam founded ICTP. The scientific frontiers are very different. We have to approach them in a different way. But the basic mission of bringing the global community together remains the same and it’s a role we’re excited to play.”
