Professor Gautam Menon talks to host Pavan Srinath about the Nobel Prize, what they mean for scientists, and how they shape science. In episode 155 of The Pragati Podcast, Gautam and Pavan discuss the outsized role that the Nobel Prize plays in being an aspirational goal for young scientists, how they create role models, the work, and the people who win the awards, and the dynamics at play. Gautam I Menon (@MenonBioPhysics) is a Professor of Physics and Biology at Ashoka University. Prior to joining Ashoka, he was a Professor with the Theoretical Physics and Computational Biology groups at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, where he was the founding Dean of the Computational Biology group. He works on biophysical problems and the modeling of infectious diseases. He is an initiating member of the Indian Scientists' Response to COVID-19 (ISRC). Before working on biological problems, he worked in the broad fields of statistical physics and soft condensed matter physics. Visit tiny.cc/pragati155 for detailed episode notes and links to the Nobel winners and research who are discussed in the episode. For all queries and feedback, email us at [email protected] or reach out to host Pavan Srinath at @zeusisdead on Twitter: twitter.com/zeusisdead Follow The Pragati Podcast on Instagram: instagram.com/pragatipod & Twitter: twitter.com/thinkpragati & Facebook: facebook.com/thinkpragati The Pragati Podcast is made possible thanks to the support of The Takshashila Institution and the Independent Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF).