Laureates > Infosys Prize 2010

PHYSICAL SCIENCES - Sandip Trivedi

The Infosys Prize 2010 for Physical Sciences is awarded to Professor Sandip Trivedi for finding an ingenious way to solve two of the most outstanding puzzles of Superstring Theory simultaneously: What is the origin of dark energy of the Universe? Why is there no massless scalar particle?

Citation by the Infosys Prize Physical Sciences Jury

Professor Sandip Trivedi has made important original contributions to several areas of theoretical physics. In recent years, a large community of physicists has pursued the possibility of achieving a unified account of all the known forces of physics - including gravity as well as the strong, electromagnetic, and weak interactions - using the concepts of Superstring Theory. But it had proved difficult to construct solutions of the equations of Superstring Theory that did not contain massless particles of a kind not observed in nature ('moduli problem'), and that describes an accelerating or inflating Universe, which seem to be required by cosmological observations. Through an ingenious construction that introduced several theoretical innovations, Professor Trivedi showed that these difficulties are connected, and can be overcome simultaneously. His work has revolutionized this field and forms the basis of much ongoing research throughout the world.

Scope and impact of work

Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics in an attempt to explain natural phenomena. The goal is to rationalize, explain and predict physical phenomena. Professor Trivedi’s research led to important connections between String Theory, Cosmology and Particle Physics. In particular, he has made significant contributions to the study of superstring cosmology, flux compactifications, black hole physics and supersymmetry breaking.

The goal of theoretical physics is to produce conceptual models that explain and predict natural phenomena. Physicists have achieved a remarkably powerful, accurate and complete description of the fundamental laws governing an enormous range of phenomena, culminating in the so-called "Standard Model". So far this Model has passed every experimental test successfully. The Model invokes four fundamental forces (gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces) and several distinct building-blocks of matter. However, the Model has conceptual difficulty in describing extreme gravitational fields, such as might be encountered in the very early Universe or in the interior of black holes. Superstring theory aims at unifying all the fundamental forces and solving the mysteries of the gravity. However, many questions remain.

Professor Sandip Trivedi's research forges important connections between superstring theory, cosmology and particle physics.

Click Here to visit Sandip Trivedi's TIFR Home Page

 

ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE - Ashutosh Sharma

The Infosys Prize 2010 for Engineering and Computer Science is awarded to Ashutosh Sharma in recognition of his fundamental contributions to the fields of surfaces and interfaces, adhesion, pattern formation, nanocomposites, materials science, and hydrodynamics, which have practical applications in such areas as energy storage, filtration, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and optoelectronics.

Citation by the Infosys Prize 2010 Engineering and Computer Science Jury

Professor Ashutosh Sharma has made scholarly scientific contributions in the broad areas of nanoscale surface pattern evolution, instability, and the dynamics of thin liquid and solid films and soft matter. These scientific studies have provided fundamental contributions to the fields of surfaces and interfaces, adhesion, structure evolution, nanocomposites, and hydrodynamics.

Professor Sharma's work also has important applications in energy storage, filtration, micro-electro-mechanical systems and optoelectronics. His research carried out entirely in India, has combined elegant experiments with theory and simulation, and has been widely published and cited in major international journals.

Scope and impact of work

Professor Ashutosh Sharma is an engineering scientist whose work lies at the intersections of chemical and materials sciences and engineering, physics, and nanotechnology. The focus of his work lies in probing how chemical and physical properties of surfaces, interfaces and materials, especially at atomistic and nanometer length scales, influence the evolution of structure and patterns. Professor Sharma has conducted very elegant and quantitative experiments in combination with theory and simulation that have provided critical insights into how structures form, their stability and their properties which, in turn, address important connections between chemical synthesis and function.

The research he conducted has important use in such diverse application areas such as energy storage, filtration, micro- and nano-scale functional devices and optoelectronics. His work provides an excellent illustration of how research at the intersections of traditional disciplines can provide scientific and engineering discoveries of practical significance.

Click here to visit Ashutosh Sharma's IITK Home Page

 

MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES - Chandrashekhar B. Khare

The Infosys Prize in Mathematics is awarded to Chandrashekhar B. Khare in recognition of his fundamental contributions to Number Theory, particularly his solution of the Serre conjecture.

Citation by the Infosys Prize Mathematical Sciences Jury

Number Theory is one of the central areas of mathematics that often establishes connections between analysis, algebra and geometry. Historically such connections can be traced back to the work of the great Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who discovered completely new number-theoretic aspects of modular forms, and whose ideas eventually led to the modern revolution in Number Theory.

The Serre conjecture, formulated by Jean-Pierre Serre, one of the greatest living mathematicians and winner of the Abel Prize, postulates one such connection between modular forms and representations of Galois groups. The conjecture is strong enough to imply among other things, Fermat's last theorem, a problem that had remained unsolved for more than three hundred years until it was solved by Andrew Wiles a few years back. Partly in collaboration with Wintenberger, Professor Chandrashekhar B. Khare settled the Serre conjecture in the affirmative. Professor Khare's work is a major breakthrough in the field with many spectacular consequences, and many new ideas introduced in it are expected to dominate the field for years to come.

Scope and impact of work

Number Theory, one of the oldest branches of mathematics, is concerned with the structure of the set of integers and its relation to the geometric world. One of the most profound discoveries of 18th century mathematics, by Gauss, was that there exists a geometric construction of a regular 17-gon by ruler and compass (i.e., there is a way to subdivide the circle into 17 equal parts) but there is none of a 19-gon. How does 17 differ from 19? In fact, Gauss discovered a deeply hidden symmetry, which cannot be grasped just by looking at a circle in the plane. This insight completely transformed mathematics. Indeed, much of modern research is a search for such 'hidden symmetries'.

Serre's conjecture is about the analysis of symmetries such as the ones coming from elliptic curves, rather than circles. They play an important role in, for example, elliptic curve cryptography. The analogs of regular 'n '-gons are so called 'n '-torsion points on these curves; the symmetries obeyed by these points are incredibly rich and sophisticated. As one varies 'n', they begin to form analytic objects, accessible by techniques from deformation theory and geometry.

Professor Chandrashekhar B. Khare's resolution of Serre's conjecture laid open, new and unexpected passages between different subfields of mathematics. It has already changed our perception of the fabric of pure mathematics and has stimulated intense efforts to build highways along these passages. By its force and ingenuity, it stands out as one of the most remarkable accomplishments of our time.

Click here to visit Chandrahsekhar Khare's UCLA Home Page

 

SOCIAL SCIENCES - SOCIOLOGY - Amita Baviskar

The Infosys Prize 2010 in Social Sciences - Sociology is awarded to Amita Baviskar in recognition of her contributions as an outstanding analyst of social and environmental movements in modern India.

Citation by the Infosys Prize Social Sciences Jury

Professor Amita Baviskar is widely recognized as the premier sociologist of social movements involving environment and development in contemporary India. This is a remarkable accomplishment in view of the fact that the mobilization of civil society beyond the boundaries of State and of routine party politics has had a bigger impact in India than in most major democracies. Professor Baviskar has brought the richest combination of comparative, theoretical and methodological skills to our understanding of the dynamics of these social phenomena. Her studies have shown how major government interventions for rural and urban development in India often adversely affect the ability of socially disadvantaged groups to secure access to natural resources, livelihoods and democratic rights. Her published work offers us a wonderful lens into understand the rich complexity of social movements that challenge dominant views of environment-society relations and that strive to create a more democratic, equitable and just society.

Scope and impact of work

Throughout her scholarly career, Professor Amita Baviskar has shown an ability to combine empathy for the social movements around environment and development that have transformed Indian society and politics with a critical perspective on their dynamics and ideology. Professor Baviskar's work is notable for spanning both rural and urban transformations and actions across multiple scales ranging from the nation-state to the village and city slum. Her concept of 'cultural politics' deepens the conventional understanding of social action by showing how interests and ideologies are formed in the course of collective practice and how their complex interaction with dominant ideas and institutions often produces unintended effects. Her published books like In the Belly of the River: Tribal Conflicts over Development in the Narmada Valley; Waterscapes: The Cultural Politics of a Natural Resource; Contested Grounds: Essays on Nature, Culture and Power; and Elite and Everyman: The Cultural Politics of the Indian Middle Classes, and her forceful articles have had major impact on social scientists, activists and policy-makers in India and beyond, in part due to the original insights of her arguments but also due to her ability to address audiences across disciplinary boundaries. Her work meets the highest international standards in the study of social movements for justice, equity and participation, an area of inquiry in which India is perhaps the world's major sustained democratic experiment.

Click here to visit Amita Baviskar's IEG Home Page

 

SOCIAL SCIENCES - SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY - Nandini Sundar

The Infosys Prize 2010 for Social Sciences - Social Anthropology is awarded to Nandini Sundar in recognition of her contributions as an outstanding analyst of social identities, including tribe and caste, and the politics of knowledge in modern India.

Citation by the Infosys Prize 2010 Social Sciences Jury

Professor Nandini Sundar is an outstanding social anthropologist of South Asia, who has made major and original contributions to our understanding of environmental struggles, of the impact of central and state policies on tribal politics, and of the moral ambiguities associated with subaltern political movements in contemporary India. These contributions are anchored in her deep grasp of the legacies of colonial rule for cultural politics in contemporary India, and in theoretically innovative understanding of the relationship of major historical events to persistent structural tensions in Indian society. Professor Sundar has placed her detailed studies of tribal politics in Central India in the broader frame of studies of the law, bureaucracy and morality in modern India. In so doing, she has combined innovative empirical and ethnographic methods and cutting-edge approaches to those sociological debates which link the study of social change in modern India to central debates in comparative social theory.

Scope and impact of work

Professor Nandini Sundar's career has been characterized by an exceptional ability to combine the study of the most important problems in the sociology of India - including those of caste, tribe, state and economy - with issues that have emerged as objects of social-scientific interest in more recent times, such as the study of violence, subaltern identities and moral culpability. Professor Sundar's work has had major impact on a new generation of young scholars of sociology and anthropology working in India, as well as in Europe and America, and is a significant bridge between the social sciences based on Indian data and fieldwork and international debates about theory and methodology. At the same time, her work brings the highest scholarly standards and impartiality to controversial subjects in which social scientists encounter the conflicting interests of policy-makers, activists and political parties. Her ability to address different audiences has allowed her to engage in public and policy spheres in India while making major contributions to social scientific scholarship at the highest international level.

Click here to visit Nandini Sundar's DSE Home Page

 

LIFE SCIENCES - Chetan E. Chitnis

The Infosys Prize 2010 for Life Sciences is awarded to Chetan E. Chitnis for his pioneering work in understanding the interactions of the malarial parasite and its host, leading to the development of a viable malaria vaccine.

Citation by the Infosys Prize Life Sciences Jury

Each year, there are nearly 100 million cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria worldwide. Dr. Chetan E. Chitnis is credited for the identification of the erythrocyte binding protein on malarial parasite that binds to the Duffy protein on the host blood cell. Dr. Chitnis’ work helped in narrowing the region of association and development of antibodies to prevent this association and infection. Based on this work, clinical trials on the vaccines to eradicate the malarial parasite are underway and offer hope of the first viable malarial vaccine.

Scope and impact of work

Dr. Chetan E. Chitnis' work is focused on understanding the molecular basis of host-parasite interactions that are involved in the invasion of red blood cells by malaria parasites. Plasmodium Vivax and the related model simian malaria parasite, Plasmodium Knowlesi are completely dependent on the interaction with the Duffy blood group antigen for invasion of human erythrocytes. Dr. Chitnis has used a variety of modern approaches to study the function of parasite binding proteins and has done some very elegant structure-function studies to analyze their interactions with host receptors providing crucial insights into these critical host-parasite interactions and helping build the rationale for a vaccine based on these parasite proteins.

He established a pilot recombinant protein production facility at International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) that has been used to develop methods to produce recombinant protein-based malaria vaccines. Pre-clinical studies in a pilot facility have demonstrated that the recombinant antigen elicits high titer binding inhibitory antibodies that recognize and inhibit binding of diverse variants. The first generation malaria vaccine candidates developed at ICGEB are in Phase I safety trials.

His work provides an excellent example of how cutting-edge basic research that improves our understanding of biological processes underlying pathogenic mechanisms in an infectious disease can be combined effectively with translational research to develop urgently needed interventions. The scientific community has expressed optimism that his efforts to develop malaria vaccines will succeed and provide immense health benefits by protecting millions living in endemic regions against malaria.

Click here to visit Chetan Chitnis's ICGEB Home Page