Professor Narayan Pradhan has been selected for the 31st GD Birla Award for Scientific Research for his outstanding contribution in the field of material sciences, the KK Birla foundation said in an official statement on Monday.
Instituted in 1991, the award recognises eminent Indian scientists below the age of 50 for their original and outstanding contributions to any branch of science. It carries a cash prize of ₹5 lakh. The recipient is chosen by a selection board, whose present head is professor Chandrima Shaha, the president of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA).
Pradhan, a member of the faculty at the School of Material Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, graduated from Odisha’s Fakir Mohan College and did his master’s in chemistry from the Ravenshaw University, Cuttack. He went on to get a PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, in 2001. He did his post-doctoral research at Israel’s Ben Gurion University and the University of Arkansas in the US. In 2007, he joined the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science as an assistant professor.
Pradhan’s research work focused on understanding the chemistry and physics of light-emitting semiconductor nanocrystals. His research group has significantly contributed to the surface construction of the newly emerged light-emitting halide perovskite nanocrystals, which are expected to be the next-generation lighting materials for photovoltaics and making LEDs. He has provided his expertise in crystal modulations to help design new shapes of these tiny lighting materials.
{{/usCountry}}Pradhan’s research work focused on understanding the chemistry and physics of light-emitting semiconductor nanocrystals. His research group has significantly contributed to the surface construction of the newly emerged light-emitting halide perovskite nanocrystals, which are expected to be the next-generation lighting materials for photovoltaics and making LEDs. He has provided his expertise in crystal modulations to help design new shapes of these tiny lighting materials.
{{/usCountry}}A fellow at the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru, Pradhan has been a recipient of the LNJ Bhilwara Nanoscience award, the DST Swarnajayanti Fellowship award, the DST Nanoscience Young Career award, and the Oxford Nanoscientist award.