Profile: Rajan Gupta

Posted May 30, 2004 · May 30, 2004

When theoretical physicist Rajan Gupta left India nearly 30 years ago

to start a career in the United States studying high-energy physics,

he never expected to make regular trips home to help tackle public

health issues ranging from AIDS to alcoholism. But 5 years ago, the

scientist's life took an unexpected turn after he and his family

traveled through his homeland. " My 6-year-old son came to me and

said: 'We have so much. We must do something for those who don't.' "

Soon, Gupta--who had done some computer-modeling work on the HIV

pandemic --was educating himself about the AIDS crisis and forging

links with groups in India. He now takes 6 weeks of leave a year from

Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to spend time in some of

India's poorest communities. " I've had the privilege of studying an

exciting area of fundamental science; it's time to give back to

society, " he says.

Gupta, 50, who has been a U.S. citizen since 1999, came to the United

States to do graduate work at the California Institute of Technology

in Pasadena, where he earned a doctorate before joining Los Alamos in

1985. There he uses supercomputers to model the interactions between

elementary particles such as quarks and gluons.

His efforts to improve public health, which include counseling

Americans, have " probably made me a less competitive scientist, " he

admits. And his visits to India--where he works with villagers,

women's groups, and students (t8web.lanl.gov/people/rajan)--can be

exhausting, he says: " Each time I go with tremendous enthusiasm and

come back depressed by the magnitude of the need--but also more aware

of the responsibility that comes with privilege. "

Source: Malakoff, Profile: Rajan Gupta, Science 2004 304: 1281

Read: MY GOAL REGARDING HIV/AIDS INTERVENTION AND SOCIETAL UPLIFT at

the following url. [Moderator]

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