Science and Technology question from UPSC CSE-Prelims, 2026
'X', born in the UK, was conferred the Nobel Prize in 2025. He was a professor in an American university when this prize was announced. Identify 'X':
Last updated Aug 1, 2026
Correct Answer:
Option C —
John Clarke
Why John Clarke is the correct choice:
The Award & Subject: He was co-awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics alongside Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis for "the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit." His foundational work paved the way for superconducting qubits used in modern quantum computing.
Vajiram & Ravi
Birthplace: He was born in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Legacy IAS Academy
University Affiliation: At the time of the prize announcement, he was serving as a Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley (an American university).
Legacy IAS Academy
Why the other options are incorrect:
(a) Michel H. Devoret: While he co-won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics and taught at an American university (Yale/UC Santa Barbara), he was born in France, not the UK.
Vajiram & Ravi
(b) Richard Robson: He won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (for metal-organic frameworks) and was born in the UK, but he spent his career at an Australian university (University of Melbourne), not an American one.
Dalvoy
(d) Joel Mokyr: He won the 2025 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, and while he is a professor at an American university (Northwestern University), he was born in the Netherlands, not the UK.
Dalvoy
Answer verified by Quintessence Classes faculty — Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
