Physics of the Heart
It's been a half-century since Mirmira "Nat" Dwarakanath (PhD ʼ69) and his wife, Meera, left Pasadena for Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. But Caltech has stayed close to their hearts through the passing years. "This is something I always had in mind," says the 85-year-old alumnus—"this" being a major gift to the Institute. Named for his late wife, the Meera Dwarakanath Discovery Fund will prioritize innovative research by graduate students in the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy (PMA) when fully endowed in 2028. The $250,000 gift is both an act of love and a mark of gratitude.
"I was very appreciative of the fact that Caltech gave me a free education," says Nat, whose tuition during his five-year doctoral program was entirely covered by fellowships. "I also received some stipend to live on," he adds. "Otherwise, I couldn't have done it."
In naming the fund for his beloved wife, Nat has created a timeless tribute that will support PMA's research for generations to come, bolstering its tradition of pushing the boundaries of discovery—from the first detection of gravitational waves to revolutionary work in quantum research.
"Nat's generous support helps ensure that our faculty and students continue to pursue high-risk, high-reward research that is a defining aspect of Caltech," says Fiona A. Harrison, the Harold A. Rosen Professor of Physics and holder of the Kent and Joyce Kresa Leadership Chair in PMA. "Securing funding for path-breaking, novel research can be challenging, making gifts like this all the more impactful to the next generation of innovators."
From Karnataka to California
Originally from Bangalore, India, Nat was the youngest of seven children. His father was an ophthalmic surgeon under the British Raj and wanted his children to follow in his medical footsteps. None did, however.
Despite intense family pressure as the last in line, Nat studied physics instead of medicine at the University of Mysore.
"I always was the kind to collect electrical wires and magnets and coils," he says, with a smile. After completing his bachelor's and master's degrees, he went on to work at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai.
Hungry for deeper insight into his chosen field, Nat decided after four years at BARC to pursue a PhD in the United States. He'd heard a talk on gamma ray spectroscopy by experimental physicist Jesse W. M. DuMond (PhD '29), which sparked his interest in Caltech. The longtime faculty member had toured India in the early 1960s.
Nat didn't expect to permanently settle in America. Indeed, he'd originally come on a Fulbright travel grant, which required his return to India. Upon completing his PhD in 1969, where he worked alongside postdoctoral fellow Hubert Winkler, Nat rejoined his former employer in Mumbai. But he found the pace of research at BARC slow and the available resources limited. In 1970, he returned to Caltech as a research fellow.
By then he was married. His wife, Meera, came from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. A multitalented person, she could have succeeded at anything she set her mind to, her husband believes. A gold medalist in college (the top academic rank in India), Meera also played the role of Portia in a student production of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. She had earned a master's degree in home science and was teaching college-level science courses when the couple met.
Within six months, Meera was starting a new life in California.
Thanks to her solid background in physiology and biochemistry, she quickly found employment as a research assistant and lab tech working under Leroy Hood (BS '60, PhD '68).
"She really enjoyed the work, but she had to give that up because of me," Nat says, with a note of contrition. The couple moved to New Jersey in 1973.
"Who knows?" he adds. "Had Meera stayed with Dr. Hood, maybe she could have become one of his partners in business."
Advancing Research in Perpetuity
While Meera assisted in Hood's lab, Nat was a postdoctoral fellow working under physicists William Alfred Fowler (PhD '36) and Tom Tombrello. Fowler went on to become a Nobel Laureate in 1983.
Nat was considering fellowship offers from Stanford, University of Illinois, and Michigan State University when he was recruited by Caltech alumnus Warren Danielson (PhD '52) to work at Bell Labs.
Nat and Meera's son, Samvid, was born in 1978, and thereafter Meera devoted herself to motherhood. She coached Sam through high school biology and chemistry, and he went on to study computer science and physics at Duke University. Today, Sam is an executive with Amazon Web Services in Seattle.
Nat stayed with Bell Labs (later Lucent Technologies) for 27 years, retiring as a supervisor and senior technical staff in 2000. He went on to pursue opportunities in smaller organizations: first Anadigics, where he focused on power amplifiers for Wifi infrastructure; and later Enpirion, a manufacturer of analog semiconductors.
Nat fully retired 10 years ago. Then last February, Meera suddenly died of a heart attack. It was a terrible blow. "I loved her very much," Nat says.
He describes Meera as "a wonderful human being—always caring, compassionate and supportive. I don't think I will ever come across anyone with her qualities."
Meera would speak often and warmly of Leroy Hood, her early mentor. After her passing, Nat says, "I wanted to create something in her memory—something that would last forever."
His philanthropy won't end with the Meera Dwarakanath Discovery Fund, though. "Sometime in the near future, I would like to endow a full academic scholarship," he says. "I feel a sense of gratitude, and I want to pay it back."