Rajnish Kumar, professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has won the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar prize for science and technology. The prize recognises persons for their outstanding contributions to human knowledge and progress.
Prof Kumar was recognised for his contributions to the fundamental understanding of nucleation and growth of clathrate hydrates, CO2 sequestration in solid hydrates, and methane recovery from marine gas hydrates.
The annual award is instituted by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research since 1985 and is named after the Council’s founder-director.
IIT-Madras director V. Kamakoti said the prize “is a testament to his (Kumar’s) exceptional contributions to research.” It exemplified the spirit of relentless pursuit of excellence in research and underscored the significance of pushing the boundaries of knowledge, he said.
Prof Kumar is a faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering with over 10 years of experience in research. Prof Kumar said he was honoured to receive the prize for engineering sciences. He credited the award to “the hard work of many students who have worked on their theses in my laboratory at IIT Madras and CSIR-NCL, Pune.”
Prof Kumar’s research group has published nearly 140 research articles, book chapters, and patents. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry [FRSC] in the United Kingdom.
