CSIR-HRDG (CSIR-Human Resource Development Group), New Delhi, organised a Presentation Ceremony to confer the CSIR Young Scientist Awards 2022 and GN Ramachandran Medal 2022 for Excellence in Biological Sciences & Technology 2022 on 27 December 2023 at CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi. The Chief Guest of the ceremony was the Hon’ble Union S&T Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh. The other dignitaries included Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director General, CSIR, and Secretary DSIR; Dr Venugopal Achanta, Director CSIR-NPL; Dr T Ramasami, Former Secretary, DST; and Dr Geethavani Rayasam, Head CSIR-HRDG.
Addressing the gathering, Hon’ble Minister Dr Jitendra Singh congratulated and motivated the awardees. Appreciating the efforts of CSIR, Dr Singh said that for over the last 80 years, CSIR has emerged as one of India’s most glorious and gratifying organs since independence and has enabled India to acquire a frontline role in the commitment of world nations.
During his welcome address, Dr Venugopal Achanta congratulated and appreciated all the awardees and also briefed about the programme.
In her opening remarks, Dr N Kalaiselvi apprised the gathering that CSIR has been celebrating the encouraging Young Scientist Awards for the last 35 years. Now, this is the 36th year. Further explaining the need for these awards, Dr Kalaiselvi said that in a country like India, when we are getting geared up to position ourselves in the global arena, this is the right time to motivate, prepare and also make ready the next generation leaders in all areas for which science and technology are not an exception. She further added that these awards are the recognition and encouragement to young minds, letting them know that they have the potential to take the graph to greater heights and contribute to the growth of Indian science and technology on a global scale. “CSIR is extremely happy to conclude the year 2023 by way of making ready the next generation leader in S&T through this kind of motivation,” added Dr Kalaiselvi.
Delivering the keynote lecture, Dr T Ramasami shared the story of what India would be in 2047, presenting a storyline of Indian growth since independence.
Earlier during the programme, Dr Jitendra Singh and other dignitaries launched the CSIR Student Alumni Portal, which will act as a pan-CSIR laboratory alumni engagement platform, providing networking opportunities for the alumni, thus adding value to the research ecosystem. Besides, the CSIR Young Scientist Awards 2022 in various categories covering the vast spectrum of scientific disciplines and the GN Ramachandran Medal 2022 were presented to the scientists. Later, dignitaries also released a book titled “Profiles in Excellence: CSIR Young Scientist Award 1987-2022”, comprising the achievements of 221 awardees, including 32 women scientists.
Concluding the ceremony, Dr Geethavani Rayasam presented the vote of thanks.
CSIR Young Scientist Awards 2022
The CSIR introduced in 1987, a scheme of awards for Young Scientists in the CSIR system in order to promote excellence in various fields of science and technology. The awards are known as the ‘CSIR Young Scientist Awards’. CSIR scientists below 35 years of age, as reckoned on 26 September (CSIR Foundation Day) of the preceding year, are eligible for the Award. These awards are given annually in the following fields:
• Biological Sciences
• Chemical Sciences
• Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
• Engineering Sciences
• Physical Sciences (including instrumentation)
Each award consists of a citation, a cash prize of rupees fifty thousand and a plaque. CSIR Young Scientist Awardees are also entitled to a research grant of rupees five lakh per annum for a period of five years and an honorarium of rupees seven thousand and five hundred per month till the age of 45 years. The following are the recipients:
Dr Andugulapati Sai Balagi
The CSIR Young Scientist Award for the year 2022 in Biological Sciences has been awarded to Dr Andugulapati Sai Balagi of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, in recognition of his significant basic and translational research in the area of molecular pharmacology and cancer biology.
Dr Harsha Bajaj
The CSIR Young Scientist Award for the year 2022 in Biological Sciences has been awarded to Dr Harsha Bajaj of CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, for her outstanding contributions in developing novel vesicle membrane models having applications in the field of membrane biology and nanotechnology.
Dr Nirmal Goswami
The CSIR Young Scientist Award for the year 2022 in Chemical Sciences has been awarded to Dr Nirmal Goswami of CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, for his significant contributions to nanostructures and applications.
Dr Karnan Chinnadurai
The CSIR Young Scientist Award for the year 2022 in Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences has been awarded to Dr Karnan Chinnadurai of CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, for his outstanding contributions to the plankton ecology along the Indian coast, which has immense significance in identifying fishery population.
Dr Amit Kumar
The CSIR Young Scientist Award for the year 2022 in Engineering Sciences has been awarded to Dr Amit Kumar of CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur, for his outstanding contributions to the development of generalised formalism for the wave propagation in thin structures using piezoelectric transducers.
Dr A Mercy Latha
The CSIR Young Scientist Award for the year 2022 in Engineering Sciences has been awarded to Dr A Mercy Latha of CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani (Chennai Centre), for her outstanding contributions in the areas of high-power microwave devices and THz systems leading to applications in space technology.
Dr Naga Vara Aparna Akula
The CSIR Young Scientist Award for the year 2022 in Physical Sciences (Including instrumentation) has been awarded to Dr Naga Vara Aparna Akula of CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh, for the development and advancement of intelligent sensing systems, which have significant strategic and socio-economic implications.
Dr Vishant
The CSIR Young Scientist Award for the year 2022 in Physical Sciences (Including instrumentation) has been awarded to Dr Vishant of CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani, for his outstanding contributions to the field of gyrotron and sub-Terahertz radiation source.
GN Ramachandran Gold Medal for Excellence in
Biological Sciences & Technology 2022
CSIR instituted a Gold Medal in 2004 in the fond memory of Prof. GN Ramachandran, a pioneer of protein chemistry & the founding father of structural biology in India, for recognising excellence in the interdisciplinary subject /field of Biological Sciences & Technology.
Prof. Kaustuv Sanyal
The GN Ramachandran Gold Medal for Excellence in Biological Sciences and Technology for the year 2022 has been awarded to Prof. Kaustuv Sanyal of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, for his seminal contributions in understanding chromosome segregation, centromere biology and evolution
