After nearly a year’s delay, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has publicised the list of awardees for the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) awards for 2022, considered among the prestigious prizes for science in India.
While usually announced on September 26 – CSIR’s Foundation Day – the prizes weren’t announced last year, without any official reason being ascribed. Last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs constituted a committee to review all the national awards administered by various science and medical ministries and whittled down some of them. The SSB awards were however retained.
This year’s awardees constitute 12 scientists below the age of 45 and they include Ashwani Kumar, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology; Maddika Subba Reddy, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting Diagnostics, Hyderabad (Biological Sciences); Akkattu Biju, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru; Debabrata Maiti, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (Chemical Sciences); Vimal Mishra, Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (Earth and Atmospheric Sciences); Dipti Ranjan Sahoo, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; Rajnish Kumar, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (Engineering Sciences); Apoorva Khare, Indian Institute of Science and Neeraj Kayal, Microsoft Research Lab India (Mathematical Science); Dipyaman Ganguly, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata (Medical Sciences); Anindya Das, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and Basudeb Dasgupta, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (Physical Sciences) .
The SSB Prize, instituted in the memory of the first Director General of the CSIR, is usually announced on the foundation day of the institution on September 26.
- Biological Sciences: This is jointly awarded to Dr. Ashwani Kumar of CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology and Dr. Maddika Subba Reddy of Centre for DNA Fingerprinting Diagnostics
- Chemical Sciences: This is jointly awarded to Dr. Akkattu T Biju of the Indian Institute of Science and Dr. Debabrata Maiti of the Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay)
- Earth, Atmosphere and Planetary Sciences: This is awarded to Dr. Vimal Mishra of the Indian Institute of Technology (Gandhinagar)
- Engineering Sciences: This is jointly awarded to Dr. Dipti Ranjan Sahoo of the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) and Dr. Rajnish Kumar of the Indian Institute of Technology (Madras)
- Mathematical Sciences: This jointly awarded to Dr. Apoorva Khare of the Indian Institute of Science and Dr. Neeraj Kayal of Microsoft Research Lab
- Medical Sciences: This is awarded to Dr. Dipyaman Ganguli of CSIR- Indian Institute of Chemical Biology
- Physical Sciences: This is jointly awarded to Dr. Anindya Das of the Indian Institute of Science and Dr. Basudeb Dasgupta of Physics Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
