Names of 12 scientists announced for country’s highest science award at the foundation day of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Clarion India
NEW DELHI – An alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University Dr Bushra Ateeq has been awarded with country’s highest science award Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for 2020.
She is among 12 scientists to be honoured. The award was announced on Saturday during the foundation day of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The prize is given to Indian scientists below the age of 45 for outstanding research in seven fields—Biology, Chemistry, Environment Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine and Physics.
Dr Ateeq is currently associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. She has won the award in the category for Medical Sciences. Dr Ritesh Agarwal from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, is another scientist to win the award in this category.
Dr Ateeq’s research focuses on cancer biomarkers and molecular events that lead to progression in prostate and breast cancer. Dr Agarwal is a professor of pulmonary medicine and his main research area is a fungal infection called Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
A book and a short film on the contributions of CSIR laboratories and institutes in India’s fight against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) were also released by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union science minister. One of the researchers who developed Feluda testing method for Covid-19, Dr Debjyoti Chakraborty, was also awarded the CSIR Young Scientist Award for 2020.
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Biological Sciences were given to Dr Shubhadeep Chaterjee from the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics and Dr Vatsala Thirumalai at the National Centre for Biological Sciences. Dr Chaterjee’s work focuses on mechanisms that promote or suppress bacterial disease in plants. Dr Thirumalai works on neural circuits that control movement during development and adulthood in animals.
In the field of Chemical Sciences, Dr Jyotirmayee Dash from Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science and Dr Subi Jacob George from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research were named recipients. Dr Dash’s team works on new methodologies for synthesis of diverse molecules that can be used to study structure and function of therapeutic targets. Dr George is an organic chemist who works on supermolecular synthesis.
For Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, Dr Abhijit Mukherjee from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and Dr Suryendu Dutta from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay were named recipients. Dr Mukherjee is a geology professor and works on the exploration of groundwater as a sustainable drinking water source. Dr Dutta works in the department of earth sciences and focuses on shale gas potential studies and higher plant biomarkers in sediments and crude oils.
For Engineering Sciences, Dr Amol Arvindrao Kulkarni from CSIR National Chemical Laboratory and Dr Kinshuk Dasgupta from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre were awarded. Dr Kulkarni’s research focuses on developing multiphase reactors and microreactors.
For Mathematical Sciences, Dr Rajat Subhra Hazra from Indian Statistical Institute and Dr U..K Anandavardhanan from Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay were awarded.
For physical sciences, the award went to Dr Rajesh Ganapathy from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and Dr Surajit Dhara from University of Hyderabad.
