Dr. R.A.Mashelkar Appointed Director General CSIR
Prof. S.K.Joshi Retires

Dr. R.A. Mashelkar, Director NCL has been appointed Director General CSIR and Secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research. He took over charge of his new office on 30th June 1995. At 52, he is the youngest DG of CSIR.

Prof. S.K.Joshi [Photograph]

Dr.Joshi retired as DG, CSIR on 30th June,1995 on superannuation. He has served as DG, CSIR since April, 1991. Prof.Joshi was born on 6th June, 1935, studied at Allahabad University and did his Ph.D. in Physics from there in 1962. The broad areas of his research specialization are Condensed Matter Physics and Collision Processes.

Dr. Joshi was elected Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1974. He was the Secretary of the Academy during 1983-86 and its Foreign Secretary during 1989-92. He was elected President of the INSA in 1993. He is Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences since 1974 and was Vice President from 1989 to 1991. Prof.Joshi was President of Indian Physics Association during 1989-90. He is President, Materials Research Society of India. Prof.Joshi is a Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences; and a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

He won the Watmull Memorial Prize for 1965, Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize for Physical Sciences in 1972; CSIR Silver Jubilee Award in 1973, and Meghnad Saha Award for Research in Theoretical Sciences in 1974. He also won Dr.K.S.Krishanan Memorial Lectureship of INSA in 1987, and FICCI Award in Physical Sciences for 1990; Dr.Mahendra Lal Sircar Prize by IACS Calcutta for 1989 in 1994. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1991; Goyal Prize in Physics by Goyal Foundation in 1993; D.Sc. (honoris causa) Kumaun University in 1994; and Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award in 1994.

Prof.Joshi's major research contributions span over a wide variety of topics in solid state theory and in atomic and molecular collisions. His early researches were concerned mainly with study of photons in metals and insulators. Dr.Joshi did research work in area of electronic states in disordered systems and theory of electron correlation in narrow band solids. He has also worked on surface states and surface segregation. Dr. Joshi has conducted studies on excitation and ionization processes in atoms ions and molecules due to the impact of electrons and protons. The current research interests of Dr. Joshi lie in high temperature superconductivity and heavy fermion systems.

Prof.Joshi has supervised the Ph.D. theses of 18 scholars and has published more than 175 research papers.

On retirement as DG, CSIR Prof.Joshi has been awarded the Sarabhai Research Professorship in Physics. He will work on condensed matter theory at the National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi.

r.R.A. Mashelkar, an internationally acclaimed chemical engineer, took over as the Director of National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in June 1989. At 46, he was the youngest Director to take over the charge of this premier research laboratory.

r. R.A. Mashelkar [Photograph]

r.Mashelkar has brought in new concepts in research and technology management and moved NCL on the path of being a global R&D platform by offering its technologies and services worldwide. The recently adopted Mashelkar Committee report gave a refreshing new market and users orientation to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

r. Mashelkar has been an active consultant in research and technology to Indian industry as well to leading companies in USA and Europe. Dr.Mashelkar has been on the Board of Directors of IPCL, MPCL, TDICI, IVS, etc. He has been consultant to the World Bank on restructuring of industrial R&D.

r.Mashelkar was a Member of the Science Advisory Council (SAC) to the Prime Minister of India (1988-90). He was appointed as an Assessor for the Inquiry Commission set up by the Government to investigate the Bhopal gas tragedy and also the Chairman of the Committee that investigated into the accident in the giant petrochemical complex of MGCC at Nagothane.

r.Mashelkar has published over 180 research papers in international journals and he has edited 16 books. Dr.Mashelkar has won many awards, which include the prestigious S.S.Bhatnagar Prize(1982), K.G.Naik Gold Medal (1985), FICCI Award(1987), Viswakarma Medal (1988), O.P.Bhasin Award (1991), Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Award for Technology (1991) , G.D. Birla Award (1993) & Raj Kristo Memorial Award(1995). In 1991, the President of India honoured him with Padmashri in recognition of his contributions to Science.

r.Mashelkar has received a number of international honours. In1993, University of Salford (UK) honoured him with an Honorary Doctorate of Science honoris causa and in the same year he was elected a Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences in Trieste, Italy. He delivered the prestigious Danckwerts Memorial Lecture in London in June 1994.