Two Professors from Indian Institute of Technology Madras were conferred ‘Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar: Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar’ by the President of India Droupadi Murmu at Delhi on 22nd August 2024.
Prof. Prabhu Rajagopal, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, and Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, were selected for this award, formerly known as the ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar’ Prize, in recognition of their outstanding work in science and technology.
Prof. Prabhu Rajagopal, who is also the Advisor (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) at IIT Madras, pioneered the automated ultrasonic inspection of marine and fluid-handling assets such as pipes, terminals and tanks using tethered and automated submersible vehicles. He has made seminal contributions to remote Non-destructive Evaluation of structures and processes through advances in ultrasonics and robotics, as well as guiding multiple start-ups in taking these innovations to the field.
Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti focuses on indigenous hardware and wireless communications stack development. In the first-of-its-kind facility in India, Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti led the development of 5G radio systems at IIT Madras. His team is currently designing 6G technologies. Prof. Ganti made several contributions to global standards bodies and spearheaded the development of Rural use cases in ITU (International Telecom Union) to provide modern telecom access and connectivity to remote and rural areas. His work on stochastic geometry for the analysis of wireless and cellular networks is globally recognized.
Congratulating the Professors on this recognition, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Faculty of IIT Madras are involved in transformational research for at least the last two decades. The outputs of these efforts have led to products of great national importance. I am very proud that two of my colleagues have been awarded the Bhatnagar prize this year for their stellar contributions in their respective fields that have led to technology of great national and societal relevance.”
Speaking about this recognition, Prof. Prabhu Rajagopal, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “I am grateful and honoured to receive the country’s highest recognition for young scientists. Being passionate about fundamental ‘blue sky’ research as well as technology translation to solve practical real-world problems in industry and society, I am happy to note that this award underlines my work in technology and innovation. This award is an affirmation to young scientists and technologists across India, that stepping forward to solve pressing challenges such as access to scalable technologies for healthcare, sanitation and industrial process efficiency is appreciated.”
Prof. Prabhu Rajagopal added, “I take this opportunity to thank my mentors, industry collaborators, students and start-up co-founders and investors who have guided and anchored my journey over the years. My sincere appreciation to the administrators at IIT Madras including former and current Directors, Deans and HoDs who have nurtured a culture of excellence and support for Innovation and Entrepreneurship creating one of the best ecosystems for deep-tech startups in India. My gratitude to my parents, brother (and his little son who always comes to my Laboratory with wonder eyes) and wife Dr. Tamaswati Ghosh who have patiently supported me and endured the years of seemingly unending hours at work.”
Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “I am honoured to receive the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Award for my work in wireless and cellular systems. I am grateful that my work in developing and building wireless systems is recognized and I hope that it would encourage more researchers and faculty to do systems work.”
Prof. Radhakrishna Ganti added, “I had the privilege of working with excellent researchers who have helped me at various stages to significantly contribute to the vision of India-led wireless standards and lay the foundation for an indigenous wireless ecosystem in India. I want to thank my mentors, teachers, colleagues and friends who encouraged me to pursue what I enjoyed and helped me along the way. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Bhaskar Ramamuthi and Prof. V. Kamakoti as well as the entire IITM administration for their excellent support throughout the years and for their invaluable advice. I deeply appreciate the support of MeiTY and DOT for their financial grants as well as their steadfast support in the development of indigenous technologies and standards. I want to thank my parents for their belief and confidence in me and my in-laws for their constant support. My special thanks to my wife Sambhavi and my son Eswar Prakash who always stood with me, supported me through the journey and share my dream and passion for Atmanirbhar Bharath.”
