The State Cabinet has decided to appoint Suresh Das as Executive Vice President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE).
Briefing the media after the weekly Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Dr. Das was selected from the three names shortlisted by the search committee.
Dr. Das is currently Director, CSIR-NIIST (National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology). He is due to retire by the month-end.
Born in Odisha, Dr. Das did his B.Sc. at the University of Poona and M.Sc. from University of Baghdad, Iraq.
After completing his PhD from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K., in 1981, Dr. Das worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Radiation Chemistry at Mulheim, University of Notre-Dame, U.S., and University of Houston, U.S., before returning to India in 1988 to join the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, as Visiting Fellow.
In 1989, he joined the CSIR-NIIST as Head of the Photochemistry research unit and has been director since 2009.
He is a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and Indian Academy of Sciences and has four patents to his credit.
Talking to The Hindu , Dr. Das said his priority as EVP would be to harness the power of science, technology, and innovation to promote sustainable development and improve the quality of life in Kerala.
Outlining his thrust areas, he said he would focus on the improvement of human resource and infrastructure in scientific research institutions, development of appropriate technologies for the State, and creation of an innovation ecosystem.
— Special Correspondent
