Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT—Madras) has announced that Professor Rajnish Kumar, a faculty member, has been bestowed with the esteemed Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award for his remarkable contributions to the field of scientific knowledge and its advancements.
The award is presented annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in India and acknowledges outstanding research accomplishments, both fundamental and applied, across various streams, including biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, mathematics, medicine, and physics.
Named after the founding director of CSIR, Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, the award recognises excellence in scientific and technological research since 1985.
Professor Rajnish Kumar's contributions have earned him the prestigious award. His work was primarily focused on the fundamental understanding of nucleation and growth of clathrate hydrates, carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration in solid hydrates, and methane recovery from marine gas hydrates.
Dr V Kamakoti, the Director of IIT Madras in a statement said, "Dr Kumar, who bagged the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award for 2022 is a testament to his exceptional contributions to research. We at IIT Madras are immensely proud of his achievements. This not only reflects his brilliance but also exemplifies the spirit of relentless pursuit of excellence in research. The reputed award reaffirms our faith in the power of research and underscores the significance of pushing the boundaries of knowledge."
Professor Rajnish Kumar, a faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Madras, boasts an impressive academic and research record. He was previously acknowledged as a 'Highly Cited Researcher' in engineering in 2018 and received the NASI-SCOPUS Young Scientist Award in 2016. With over a decade of experience in research and teaching, he has an H-index of 49 and an i10-index of 100, along with more than 9,000 citations on Google Scholar to his credit.
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Professor Kumar said, "I was able to bag the award and it became possible due to the hard work that was put in by several students who were working on their theses in my laboratory at IIT (Madras) and CSIR-NCL, Pune. I also thank all the collaborators and the funding agencies who supported my research."
Professor Kumar's research interests primarily revolved around unconventional energy resources, with a focus on natural gas hydrates. His work encompasses various aspects, such as the role of additives in gas hydrate inhibition and growth, methane recovery from marine gas hydrates, hydrate-based gas separation processes, methane storage, and transportation. His research group has made significant contributions, publishing close to 140 research articles, book chapters, and patents, in addition to delivering numerous invited talks at international and national conferences and institutes.
In 2020, Professor Kumar received the Dr. YBG Varma Award for Teaching Excellence in Chemical Engineering, further highlighting his dedication to both research and education. He is also recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in London, UK.
Professor Rajnish Kumar's outstanding achievements have not only earned him the prestigious award but also cemented IIT Madras's position as a leader in research related to carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration, contributing significantly to the field of scientific advancement and environmental sustainability.
