Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2024

Vigyan Ratna Award: NASI Honorary Scientist & Professor, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore: Prof. Padmanabhan played a pivotal role in establishing the Biotechnology Industry Assistance Council, New Delhi, which supports over 1,800 incubatees and has enabled the development of more than 800 biotechnology products. His research elucidated the heme biosynthetic pathway of Plasmodium, the parasite responsible for malaria, and he has pioneered several molecular biology and biotechnology initiatives in India. Govindarajan Padmanaban was the former director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and currently serves as an honorary professor in the department of biochemistry at IISc and Chancellor of the Central University of Tamil Nadu. he primarily worked in the transcriptional regulation of Eukaryotic genes in the liver. He was interested in elucidating the multifaceted role of heme in cellular processes. His group discovered the heme-biosynthetic pathway in the malarial parasite and showed it to be a drug target. He has also been interested in the area of vaccine development. His team was successful in showing the antimalarial property of Curcumin and its efficacy in combination therapy in 2004.

Vigyan Shri: Director, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram: Dr. Anandharamakrishnan has made significant contributions to food processing, advancing innovative technologies, nutrient delivery systems, 3D food printing, and food structure and digestion. His work supports the development of sustainable food systems.

Vigyan Shri: Distinguished Scientist & Director, Chemistry Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai: Dr. Tyagi is a globally recognized scientist who has made groundbreaking contributions to processes and materials essential to India’s atomic energy program.

Vigyan Shri: Honorary Professor, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru: Prof. Varshney is an eminent biologist known for his fundamental research on protein synthesis and DNA repair in bacteria such as E. coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, contributing to potential TB vaccine development.

Vigyan Shri: Professor, IISER Pune: Prof. Udgaonkar has made outstanding contributions to structural biology, particularly in understanding protein folding and misfolding.

Vigyan Shri: National Science Chair, CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow: A distinguished biogeochemical oceanographer, Prof. Naqvi’s pioneering research has had a lasting and transformative impact on oceanography.

Vigyan Shri: SERB National Science Chair & Emeritus Professor, IIT Delhi: Prof. Singh is a prolific researcher in power electronics, known for his work in power quality, multipulse converters, and solar photovoltaic power generation.

Vigyan Shri: Distinguished Visiting Professor, IIT Kanpur: Prof. Adimurthi has made fundamental contributions to partial differential equations, including semilinear elliptic PDEs, functional inequalities, and hyperbolic conservation laws.

Vigyan Shri: National Science Chair, INSA & IIM Kolkata: Prof. Mukherjee is widely recognized for his contributions to mathematical statistics, including design of experiments, Bayesian theory, asymptotic analysis, and survey sampling.

Vigyan Shri: Director, SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram: A leading figure in neurosurgery, Prof. Behari has advanced medical research, technology, and infrastructure, fostering innovation that translates into patents and medical devices.

Vigyan Shri: Professor of Eminence & SERB National Science Chair, Bharathidasan University: Prof. Muthusamy is a prominent physicist specializing in nonlinear dynamics, with interdisciplinary applications across biology, chemistry, economics, and sociology.

Vigyan Shri: INSA Senior Scientist, SINP, Kolkata: A leading experimental particle physicist, Prof. Mondal has contributed significantly to neutrino physics and led the design of detectors for the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO).

Vigyan Shri: Director, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru: Prof. Subramaniam has made pioneering contributions to stellar and galactic astrophysics and played a key role in the Astrosat mission.

Vigyan Shri: Chair Professor, IIT Bombay: Prof. Srivastava has contributed significantly to biomedical microsystems and nanoengineered biosensors, developing technologies such as mobile-based diagnostics and noninvasive health monitoring tools.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Senior Scientist, ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad: Dr. Murthy has developed salt-tolerant rice varieties and genetic stocks, significantly aiding agricultural productivity in saline conditions.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Scientist, NIPGR, New Delhi: Dr. Parida has advanced molecular breeding techniques to improve stress tolerance, yield, and plant architecture in crops like rice and chickpea.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Professor, IISER Bhopal: Prof. Mahalakshmi’s work in mitochondrial membrane protein biophysics has important implications for disease treatment through peptide-based therapeutics.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Assistant Professor, IISc Bengaluru: Prof. Penmatsa has provided key structural insights into neurotransmitter transport and antibiotic resistance mechanisms, aiding biomedical research.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Professor, TIFR Mumbai: Known for his innovative work in nanocatalysis, Prof. Polshettiwar has contributed to sustainable chemistry and advanced materials research.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: IISER Bhopal: Prof. Rai has made significant contributions to protein engineering, supporting biopharmaceutical advancements in cancer therapeutics.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Scientist F, IITM Pune: Dr. Koll has made pathbreaking contributions to understanding Indian Ocean warming and its impact on monsoons and marine ecosystems.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: CSIR-NML, Jamshedpur: Dr. Abhilash has developed indigenous technologies for extracting critical metals from industrial waste and advancing recycling processes.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Professor, IIT Madras: Dr. Ganti has led the development of indigenous 5G base station technologies, including advanced MIMO systems.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Assistant Professor, Central University of Jharkhand: Dr. Saikia specializes in ecological modeling and conservation of rare and endangered plant species, contributing to policy-relevant research.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Assistant Professor, NFSU Gandhinagar: Dr. Paul has developed catalytic processes for converting CO₂ into ethanol and reducing industrial air pollution.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Professor, IISc Bengaluru: Prof. Kakde has made significant advances in number theory, including work on the Iwasawa and Gross-Stark conjectures.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: PGIMER Chandigarh: A distinguished pediatric neurologist, Prof. Sahu specializes in infantile epileptic disorders and their treatment.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Scientist F & Head, ICMR-NIV Pune: Dr. Yadav is an expert in infectious diseases and has contributed to the development and evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru: Prof. Sinha is renowned for her work in quantum information science, including landmark experiments validating quantum mechanics principles.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: ISRO, Thiruvananthapuram: Dr. Swain specializes in experimental solid mechanics for launch vehicles, contributing to structural testing and validation.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: ISRO SAC Ahmedabad: Dr. Kumar has contributed to atmospheric science and developed high-resolution weather forecasting systems used by IMD.

Vigyan Yuva- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award: IIT Madras: Prof. Rajagopal is known for pioneering research in ultrasonic sensing, robotic inspection, and metamaterials.

Vigyan Team: Team Chandrayaan-3: Indian Space Research Organisation, Bengaluru: The Chandrayaan-3 team is recognized for achieving one of India’s most globally celebrated scientific milestones, showcasing excellence in space technology through collaborative effort.