Infosys Prize 2010 the Infosys Science Foundation Securing India's Scientific Future
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Infosys Science Foundation Prof. Ashutosh Sharma Dr. Chetan E. Chitnis Prof. Chandrashekhar B. Khare Engineering and Computer Science Life Sciences Mathematical Sciences Prof. Sandip Parimal Trivedi Prof. Nandini Sundar Prof. Amita Baviskar Physical Sciences Social Sciences – Social Anthropology Social Sciences – Sociology 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 2010 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 the Infosys management. 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 `50 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. “The most important, the most fundamental and the deepest investigations are those that affect human life and activities most profoundly. Only those scientists who have labored, not with the aim of producing this or that, but with the sole desire to advance knowledge, ultimately prove to be the greatest benefactors of humanity.” C. V. Raman 1888 – 1970 Physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930 for the ‘Raman effect’ Infosys Prize 2010 Engineering and Computer Science The Infosys Prize 2010 for Engineering and Computer Science is awarded to Ashutosh Sharma for his fundamental contributions to mechanics, materials and manufacturing on small scales including self-organization and instabilities, nano-patterning and functional multiscale interfaces. Ashutosh Sharma Institute Chair Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur Infosys Prize 2010 Scope and impact of work Citation by the Infosys Prize Professor Sharma is an engineering Engineering and Computer Professor Sharma obtained a scientist whose work lies at the Science Jury Bachelor's degree in Chemical intersections of chemical and Engineering from Indian Professor Sharma has made scholarly Institute of Technology, Kanpur material sciences and engineering, scientific contributions in the broad (IITK) (1982), a Master's physics, and nanotechnology. areas of self-organized micro and degree from the Pennsylvania The focus of his work lies in nano-scale surface pattern evolution, State University (1984) probing how chemical and surface instabilities, the dynamics and a Ph.D. from the State physical properties of surfaces, of thin liquid and solid films and University of New York at interfaces and materials, especially mechanics of confined soft matter. Buffalo (1987), where he was a at micrometer and nanometer These scientific studies have research faculty until he joined length scales, influence the provided fundamental contributions IITK in 1990. He became evolution of structures and patterns. to the fields of surfaces and a full professor in 1997 and Professor Sharma has conducted interfaces, self-assembled patterns, was the Head of the Chemical very elegant and quantitative wetting, adhesion, structure Engineering department from experiments in combination with 2003 to 2006. Currently, he evolution, nanocomposites, and theory and simulations that have meso-scale hydrodynamics. is an Institute Chair Professor provided critical insights into how and Coordinator of the self-organized structures form, their Professor Sharma's work also has Nanosciences Center at IITK. stability and properties which, in important applications in micro Professor Sharma is a recipient turn, address important connections and nano-fabrication, patterning, of numerous awards including between chemical synthesis, physical energy storage, filtration, micro- the 2010 Kapitsa Medal of the fabrication and function. electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) Russian Academy of Natural and optoelectronics. His research, Sciences, 2008 TWAS Prize, The research he conducted carried out entirely in India, has 2007 Distinguished Alumnus has important applications in combined elegant experiments with Award of IIT Kanpur, 2007 diverse areas such as micro and theory and simulation, and has been Homi Bhabha Award, 2006 nano-fabrication, energy storage, widely published and cited in major Bessel Research Award of the filtration, micro- and nano-scale international journals. Humboldt Foundation, and the functional materials and devices, 2002 SS Bhatnagar Prize. He and optoelectronics. His work is an elected Fellow of TWAS provides an excellent illustration of (The Academy of Sciences for how research at the intersections of the Developing World) and a traditional disciplines can provide Fellow of many of the renowned scientific and engineering discoveries academies of science and of practical significance. engineering in India. He has been a member of the editorial boards of Chemical Engineering Science, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science and Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. Infosys Prize 2010 Life Sciences The Infosys Prize 2010 for Life Sciences is awarded to Chetan E. Chitnis for his pioneering work in understanding the interactions of the malaria parasite and its host, leading to the development of a viable vaccine for malaria. Chetan E. Chitnis Principal Investigator – Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi Infosys Prize 2010 Scope and impact of work Dr. Chitnis's work provides an Dr. Chitnis's work is focused on excellent example of how cutting Dr. Chitnis completed his understanding the molecular basis edge basic research that improves Master of Science in Physics of host-parasite interactions that our understanding of biological at the Indian Institute of are involved in the invasion of red processes underlying pathogenic Technology, Bombay, Master blood cells by malaria parasites. mechanisms in an infectious disease of Arts in Physics from Rice Plasmodium vivax and the related can be combined effectively with University, Houston and simian malaria parasite, Plasmodium translational research to develop Ph.D. in Biophysics from knowlesi, are completely dependent urgently needed interventions. the University of California, on interaction with the Duffy The scientific community Berkeley. Dr. Chitnis was a blood group antigen for invasion has expressed optimism that Visiting Fellow at the National of human erythrocytes. Dr. Chitnis Dr. Chitnis's efforts to develop Institutes of Health, Bethesda has used a variety of modern malaria vaccines will succeed and and joined the International approaches to study the function of provide immense health benefits Centre for Genetic Engineering erythrocyte-binding proteins from by protecting millions living in and Biotechnology (ICGEB), malaria parasites. He has done some endemic regions against malaria. New Delhi, as a Staff Research very elegant structure-function Scientist, where he is currently studies to analyze their interactions Citation by the Infosys Prize a Principal Investigator with the with host receptors providing Life Sciences Jury Malaria Research Group. crucial insights into these critical Each year, there are nearly 100 Dr. Chitnis is a Fellow of the host-parasite interactions. These million cases of Plasmodium vivax Indian Academy of Sciences, studies have helped build the malaria worldwide. Dr. Chitnis is Bangalore, and winner of the rationale for malaria vaccines based credited with building the rationale Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award on the parasite proteins. for a malaria vaccine based on an in Medical Sciences. He was an erythrocyte-binding protein on the Dr. Chitnis established a pilot International Research Scholar malaria parasite that binds to the recombinant protein production of Howard Hughes Medical Duffy protein on the host blood cell facility at the International Centre Institute, USA, an International to mediate invasion. Dr. Chitnis's for Genetic Engineering and Senior Research Fellow of The work helped in narrowing the region Biotechnology (ICGEB) that has Wellcome Trust, UK and is of association and led to the design been used to develop methods to currently a Tata Innovation of vaccines that can elicit antibodies produce recombinant protein-based Fellow of the Department of to prevent this association and malaria vaccines. Pre-clinical studies Biotechnology, India. infection. Based on this work, with vaccine candidates produced in clinical trials on vaccines that target the pilot facility have demonstrated malaria parasites are underway and that the recombinant antigens elicit offer hope for the development of a high titer antibodies that inhibit viable vaccine. erythrocyte binding and block growth of diverse parasite variants. The first generation malaria vaccine candidates developed at ICGEB are currently being tested in Phase I safety trials. Infosys Prize 2010 Mathematical Sciences The Infosys Prize 2010 for Mathematics is awarded to Chandrashekhar B. Khare for his fundamental contributions to Number Theory, particularly his solution of the Serre conjecture. Chandrashekhar B. Khare Professor, Department