Official Question UPSC 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' :
Solution & Analysis
Answer: C
Let us apply the biographical filters provided in the prompt to the 2025 Nobel Foundation laureates:
•Filter 1: Conferred the Nobel Prize in 2025. (All four options won a Nobel Prize in 2025 across different fields, so we must look deeper).
•Filter 2: Born in the UK.
•Michel H. Devoret was born in France. (Eliminated).
•Joel Mokyr was born in the Netherlands. (Eliminated).
•This leaves Richard Robson (born in Yorkshire, England) and John Clarke (born in Cambridge, England).
•Filter 3: Professor in an American university at the time of announcement.
•Richard Robson won the Chemistry prize, but he is affiliated with the University of Melbourne, which is in Australia. (Eliminated).
•John Clarke (Option C), who jointly won the Physics prize for macroscopic quantum tunneling, was serving as a Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley in the USA.
Conclusion: John Clarke perfectly matches all three strict biographical criteria.