On January 11, 2025, the Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) celebrated young brilliance in the realm of academic research and innovation with the Infosys Prize 2024 award ceremony held at Taj West End, Bengaluru. In its 16th year, the Infosys Prize refocused its mission by altering its eligibility criteria to recognize researchers under the age of 40, thus emphasizing the importance of early recognition for groundbreaking work. This year's laureates, conferred with a pure gold medal, a citation, and a prize purse of USD 100,000, stand as a testament to the pioneering contributions across six essential categories: Economics, Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences.
The ceremony included global luminaries from the scientific and academic communities, with Chief Guest Prof. Peter Sarnak, a Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University. It was also attended by prominent figures of the Infosys Science Foundation, including Kris Gopalakrishnan, President of the Infosys Science Foundation, along with trustees including Mr Narayana Murthy, Dr Pratima Murthy, Mr Srinath Batni, Mr K. Dinesh, Mr Nandan Nilekani, Mr Mohandas Pai, Mr Salil Parekh, and Mr S.D. Shibulal and others.
Kris Gopalakrishnan, reiterating the Foundation's commitment to nurturing innovative minds, introduced the new Infosys Prize Residency program. This initiative mandates that winners from outside India spend a month in Indian institutions of their choice, fostering global collaboration and encouraging cross-pollination of ideas, thereby strengthening the scientific community across borders.
"In an attempt to establish meaningful research collaborations, from this year onwards we have asked winners from outside India to spend a month in Indian institutions of their choosing as part of a new Infosys Prize Residency program.” He remarked
Prof. Peter Sarnak's address underlined the immense contributions of the young awardees whose work rivals that of seasoned scholars in mathematics, physics, computer science, and beyond. He celebrated the deep-rooted tradition of excellence among Indian researchers and expressed that these young scientists are charting new territories in their respective fields.
"Over the years I have witnessed firsthand the immense talent and impact of Indian mathematicians, physicists and computer scientists and as clear from the descriptions of this year’s prize winners this tradition extends across all these disciplines and to all of the 2024 prize winners," Prof. Sarnak said
He also presented an amusing yet thought-provoking introduction to Number theory, his area of research, and spoke about the effects of AI in the field of mathematics.
On the eve of the award ceremony, the fourth edition of the Infosys Prize Winners’ Symposium was held. This platform allowed laureates to present their award-winning endeavours to an audience comprising members from all walks of life.
The Infosys Prize 2024 honoured the following young scholars and their research contributions:
Economics: Arun Chandrasekhar
Recipient of the Infosys Prize in Economics, Arun Chandrasekhar, a professor at Stanford University’s Department of Economics, has made significant strides in understanding social and economic networks. His innovative use of data and theoretical frameworks from machine learning highlights the role of networks in modern economies. His work particularly illuminates how these networks function within the developmental framework of Karnataka, India, and provides crucial insights for policy-making aimed at economic betterment.
Engineering and Computer Science: Shyam Gollakota
Shyam Gollakota, a professor at the University of Washington’s School of Computer Science and Engineering, was recognized for his transformative research that bridges multiple engineering disciplines. His work spans from developing affordable health monitoring tools using smartphones—which is especially beneficial to low—and middle-income countries—to pioneering battery-free computing and utilizing AI to enhance human auditory capabilities.
Humanities and Social Sciences: Mahmood Kooria
Celebrated for his pioneering study of maritime Islam, Mahmood Kooria from the University of Edinburgh has brought to light the impactful role of Islamic law in the socio-economic and cultural transformations of the Indian Ocean rim. His scholarly work provides a global perspective on Kerala's historical landscape, from pre-modern to early modern eras and demonstrates the interconnectedness of law, culture, and commerce.
Life Sciences: Siddhesh Kamat
The life sciences category awarded Siddhesh Kamat, an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune, for his discoveries related to bioactive lipids and their roles in cellular processes and diseases. By exploring lipid signalling pathways, Kamat has opened new doors in understanding cellular function and potential therapeutic avenues for addressing complex human diseases.
Mathematical Sciences: Neena Gupta
Neena Gupta, from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, was honoured in the mathematical sciences category for addressing the Zariski Cancellation Problem, an intricate query in algebraic geometry dating back to 1949. Her work answers the Zariski conjecture in the negative (in certain cases), which, in a very basic sense, means that if two objects have the same projections in a higher dimension, they need not be the same object. Prof. Neena Gupta is currently in Seattle to deliver the 44th Emmy Noether Lecture, and the prize was instead received by her husband and daughter.
Physical Sciences: Vedika Khemani
Vedika Khemani, an associate professor at Stanford University, was lauded for her pioneering contributions to non-equilibrium quantum matter. Her work on time crystals—a novel phase of matter where time is periodic, just as matter is periodic within a crystal—has profound implications for the burgeoning field of quantum computing, providing insights that could redefine technological advances in understanding quantum systems.
Based on a Press Release by the Infosys Science Foundation