Prof. Kalyanmoy Deb Engineering and Computer Science Prof. Kannan Dr. Imran Siddiqi Soundararajan Life Sciences Mathematical Sciences Prof. Sriram Prof. Raghuram Ramaswamy G. Rajan Physical Sciences Social Sciences – Economics Dr. Pratap Bhanu Mehta Social Sciences – Political Science and International Relations INFOSYS SCIENCE FOUNDATION INFOSYS SCIENCE FOUNDATION Infosys Campus, Electronics City, Hosur Road, Bangalore 560 100 Tel: 91 80 2852 0261 Fax: 91 80 2852 0362 Email: [email protected] www.infosys-science-foundation.com Infosys Prize 2011 The Infosys Science Foundation Securing India's scientific future The Infosys Science Foundation, a not-for-profit trust, was set up in February 2009 by Infosys and some members of its Board. The Foundation instituted the Infosys Prize, an annual award, to honor outstanding achievements of researchers and scientists across five categories: Engineering and Computer Science, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences, each carrying a prize of R50 Lakh. The award intends to celebrate success and stand as a marker of excellence in scientific research. A jury comprising eminent leaders in each of these fields comes together to evaluate the achievements of the nominees against the standards of international research, placing the winners on par with the finest researchers in the world. In keeping with its mission of spreading the culture of science, the Foundation has instituted the Infosys Science Foundation Lectures – a series of public talks by jurors and laureates of the Infosys Prize on their work that will help inspire young researchers and students. “Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” Carl Edward Sagan 1934 – 1996 Astronomer, Astrophysicist, Author, Science Evangelist Prof. Kalyanmoy Deb Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Kanpur Genetic Algorithms Laboratory, IIT Kanpur, India Engineering and Computer Science The Infosys Prize for Engineering and Computer Science is awarded to Professor Kalyanmoy Deb for his contributions to the emerging field of Evolutionary Multi-objective Optimization (EMO) that has led to advances in non-linear constraints; decision uncertainty; programming and numerical methods; computational efficiency of large-scale problems and optimization algorithms. Kalyanmoy Deb received Scope and impact of work is routinely employed and has been his Bachelor's degree in adopted in commercial optimization Mechanical Engineering from Prof. Kalyanmoy Deb's seminal work software such as iSight, ModeFRONTIER IIT Kharagpur in 1985, and his in 1995 used a population-based and VisualDoc. Ph.D. in Engineering from the evolutionary optimization method His study on ‘equivalence of algorithms’ University of Alabama. He was and for the first time suggested a resulted in establishing algorithmic a Visiting Research Assistant computationally efficient algorithm to similarities between different Professor in the Department find multiple Pareto-Optimal solutions in optimization methods. This enabled of General Engineering at the a single simulation. His work on Non- researchers to not only compare and University of Illinois, Urbana dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm contrast different algorithms for Champaign between 1991 and (NSGA) and subsequent 2002 algorithm optimization, but also to improve an 1992 and worked at the Illinois (NSGA-II) integrated the mathematical algorithm's performance by borrowing Genetic Algorithms Laboratory partial ordering concept and the Karush- key operations from another algorithm. (IlliGAL). He later joined IIT Kuhn-Tucker optimality conditions Deb's research is helping to unify and Kanpur and established the with an evolutionary algorithm bring different optimization fields Kanpur Genetic Algorithms framework. For the past decade, (classical, evolutionary and others) closer Laboratory (KanGAL) in 1997. Deb's NSGA-II implementation and its commercialization by a number of together. Deb is the author of more software companies enabled academic than 280 research papers. researchers and industrial practitioners Citation by the jury He holds an Adjunct Professor to discover multiple trade-off solutions, Prof. Kalyanmoy Deb has made position at the Department and helped them to analyze the solutions fundamental contributions to the of Information and Service before choosing a single one. Economy at Aalto University emerging field of Evolutionary Multi- School of Economics, Helsinki, In 2003, Deb made a major contribution objective Optimization (EMO) where his Finland. In addition, he is by suggesting the concept of innovization work has led to significant advances a Velux Foundation Guest – a procedure to discover innovative in the areas of non-linear constraints, Professor at the Technical solution principles through multi-criteria decision uncertainty, programming and University of Denmark. He is a optimization. Since the Pareto-Optimal numerical methods, computational fellow of the Indian National solutions are all optimal corresponding efficiency of large-scale problems Science Academy (INSA), to different trade-offs among search and optimization algorithms. He has Indian National Academy of objectives, Deb argued and demonstrated demonstrated how fundamental ideas of Engineering (INAE), Indian that these solutions must have some optimization and computing principles Academy of Sciences (IASc), common principles that qualify them can be combined to devise efficient International Society of Genetic to be optimal. He then suggested a algorithms that are fast, accurate and and Evolutionary Computation systematic data mining procedure to scalable. His recent studies on handling (ISGEC) and the Institute of unveil such valuable principles in many challenging practical multi-criteria Electrical and Electronics real-world design and other problem- optimization problems make his research Engineers (IEEE). solving tasks. pragmatic and applicable to multiple disciplines. Deb's research addresses A number of Deb's proposed algorithms both fundamental and applied aspects of have become standard practice optimization, developed synergistic and within the evolutionary optimization computationally efficient algorithms, community. His optimization algorithm and demonstrates their usefulness in for handling real-valued parameters industries such as logistics and refineries. using probability-based search operators Infosys Prize 2011 Dr. Imran Siddiqi Group Leader, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India Life Sciences The Infosys Prize for Life Sciences is awarded to Doctor Imran Siddiqi for his breakthrough contributions to the basic understanding of clonal seed formation in plants which can be applied to revolutionize agriculture, especially in the developing world. Imran Siddiqi was awarded Scope and impact of work using screens for sterile mutants, work a Master of Science degree conducted entirely in his own laboratory in Chemistry by the Indian A long standing Grand Challenge in in India. This approach yielded a single Institute of Technology, plant genetics is to bring apomixis gene DYAD/SWITCH1 (SWI1), which Bombay in 1981. He obtained into crops so that vigorous hybrids can bring about functional apomeiosis, his Ph.D. from the University could be propagated through seeds. a functional component of apomixis. of Oregon, working on genetic Dr. Imran Siddiqi has made breakthrough Siddiqi and his colleagues then conceived recombination in bacteriophage contributions to the basic understanding a way to convert the clonal gametes and studying under the of clonal seed formation in plants. The produced in the dyad mutant background guidance of Prof. Franklin Stahl, study of asexual (clonal) seed formation, into seeds. in 1989. Following post-doctoral or apomixes, has an interesting history that lies in the origins of the field of work at the Indian Institute of Citation by the jury Science, Bangalore, he joined genetics itself. Gregor Mendel, after CSIR-Centre for Cellular and conducting his classic experiments Dr. Imran Siddiqi has made breakthrough Molecular Biology (CCMB), on peas that laid the foundations contributions to the basic understanding Hyderabad in 1992, where he of genetics, attempted to apply his of clonal seed formation in plants. established a research group findings to other plants. Mendel picked Apomixis (asexual reproduction) could in plant genetics. His current hawkweed, which reproduced through revolutionize agriculture for poor farmers research interest is in meiosis asexual seed formation and hence did in developing countries. The seeds that and gametogenesis in plants, not follow the rules of segregation that hybrids produce do not show the same and on apomixis. He is a fellow he had discovered in peas. Soon after vigor because sexual reproduction of the Indian Academy of the rediscovery of Mendel's work at eventually eliminates their beneficial th Sciences and a member of the the beginning of the 20 century, the traits. A long standing Grand Challenge editorial boards of the Journal phenomenon of apomixis was recognized in plant genetics is to bring apomixis of Biosciences, Journal of Genetics, as a type of asexual reproduction into crops so that vigorous hybrids BMC Plant Biology, and Journal of through seeds, a form of reproduction could be propagated through seeds. Integrative Plant Biology. that is found in a small number of plant The molecular mechanisms underlying species. apomixis are unknown. Siddiqi not only laid the fundamental groundwork