Mangala Narlikar

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Mangala Narlikar (born Mangala Rajwade; 17 May 1943 – 17 July 2023) was an Indian mathematician who worked in pure mathematics and also wrote for general readers. She studied at the University of Bombay, earning a BA in Mathematics in 1962 and an MA in Mathematics in 1964, both with top honors including the Chancellor’s gold medal.

In 1966 she married Jayant Narlikar, a well-known cosmologist and physicist. They had three daughters — Geeta, Girija, and Leelavati — all of whom pursued careers in science. Geeta is a professor of biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco; the other two work in computer science.

Narlikar began her career at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai (1964–1966), then taught at the University of Cambridge (1967–1969). She returned to TIFR from 1974 to 1980. She earned her PhD in mathematics from the University of Bombay in 1981, specializing in analytic number theory. After her PhD, she worked at TIFR as a Pool Officer (1982–1985) and taught MPhil students at the University of Bombay (1982–1985). She also taught at the University of Pune (1989–2002) and at Bhaskaracharya Pratishthan (2006–2010).

Her research interests included real and complex analysis, analytic geometry, number theory, algebra, and topology. She wrote books to make mathematics accessible and spoke about balancing a scientific career with household responsibilities. She also served as chairman of the mathematics subject committee for the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research.

Mangala Narlikar died of cancer on 17 July 2023 in Pune, at the age of 80. She published many scientific papers and books throughout her career.