In a recent announcement made by the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, 23 scientists from across the country have been elected as Fellows of the Academy. The list contains nine scientists from Bengaluru, with five from the Indian Institute of Science, two from TIFR Centre for Applicable Mathematics and one each from National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR).
Founded in the year 1934 by Sir C V Raman, the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, aims at promoting the progress and upholding the cause of science in pure and applied branches. It publishes scientific journals, organises scientific meetings and discussions, recognises scientific talent, promotes science education and plays an important advisory role. Each year, the Academy selects some distinguished scientists as its Fellows through a nomination and election process.
Among the Fellows from IISc are Prof Arun Kumar, who works on the cellular and molecular basis of oral cancer to find therapeutic targets; Prof Justin David from the Centre for High Energy Physics, who works on string theory; Ravi Shankar Nanjundiah, who is also the Director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, and whose areas of interest includes climate and weather-related studies; Prof Shalabh Bhatnagar, whose research is based on stochastic approximation, vehicular traffic control, autonomous systems, communication and wireless networks, and smart grids; and Prof Utpal Nath, who studies plant growth and development using various molecular genetic techniques.
Prof B.N. Gangadhar is a Professor at NIMHANS and works on electroconvulsive therapy—a procedure where a mild electric stimulus is used to treat mental disorders, neurobiology, treating schizophrenia, and applications of yoga in mental health. Dr Subi J George from JNCASR is an organic chemist whose research areas include supramolecular chemistry, materials chemistry and polymer chemistry. Dr Sandeep Kunnath from TIFR-CAM works on the areas of Partial Differential Equation, Variational Methods and Non-Linear Functional Analysis. Dr G D Veerappa Gowda works on Partial Differential Equation, Numerical Analysis and Conservation Laws.
In addition to the 23 Fellows, Prof Subir Sachdev from the Harvard University, USA, was named an Honorary Fellow of the Academy.