Prof. Polshettiwar received the Vigyan Yuva - Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award from the President of India on 22nd August 20204 at Rashtrapati Bhavan
I am deeply honored to receive the SS Bhatnagar Award (Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar). I will receive this award on August 23rd from the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi. This recognition is incredibly humbling and stands as a testament to the relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in materials science and catalysis by my research group at TIFR Mumbai.
This award is a direct result of my group's dedication and motivation towards high-quality work and breakthrough research, driven by our genuine desire to help India combat climate change. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all my past and current group members: Baljeet Singh, Rustam Singh, Mahak Dhiman, Ayan Maity, Amit Mishra, Rajesh Belgamwar, Rishi Verma, Saideep Singh, Sushma Kundu, Gunjan Sharma, Charvi Singhvi, Tanmoy Datta, Arya Bharadvaj, Rohit Bansal, Simanta Kundu, Farheen Sayed, Nisha Bayal, and Sushma Rawwol. This award belongs to all of us. There is one special person I must thank: my wife, Dr. Poonam Polshettiwar. While she may not be a co-author on our published papers and patents, she is, in truth, the invisible key author behind them all. Her unwavering support, taking care of our family, parents, and relatives while I dedicate most of my time to research, has made this achievement possible. I also owe my deepest gratitude to my parents, Vijay and Sheela, for providing me with the "SANSKAR" that has shaped me into who I am today. They have instilled in me the values of truthfulness, ethics, motivation, and dedication. They are my gods. I am profoundly grateful to my mentor, Prof. Sanjay Wategaonkar. Without his guidance during my challenging initial years at TIFR, I might have left. He has been a true mentor and guru. I would also like to thank the senior faculty of my department who have acted as both mentors and friends: Prof. Hosur, Prof. Chary, Prof. Das, Prof. Madhu, and Prof. A. K. Tyagi (BARC). Their guidance has been invaluable. Lastly, I wish to thank Prof. S. Ramakrishnan, ex-Director, TIFR. He embodies the virtues of Rama and Krishna, offering exceptional support during my difficult times. His visionary leadership is something I hope to see more. This recognition is not just a personal achievement but a collective triumph, reflecting the collaborative spirit and relentless pursuit of excellence that drives us. As we celebrate this moment, we remain committed to advancing scientific knowledge and contributing to a sustainable future. Addressing the urgent challenges of climate change, energy, and the environment requires the innovative use of chemistry. The proposed Conference on Advances in Chemistry for Energy and Environment (CACEE-2024) aims to bring together diverse branches of chemistry, materials science, spectroscopy, and computational studies to further advance this dynamic field of research. Our conference aims to foster discussions and innovative solutions by exploring the current fundamental understanding of chemistry to address energy and environmental challenges. Additionally, we will focus on enhancing light-matter interactions, designing and synthesizing novel materials, and employing in-situ techniques to study chemical processes.
The inaugural CACEE-2018 conference was held at TIFR, Mumbai, from January 10-12, 2018, attracting 250 participants and 45 distinguished speakers from around the world. CACEE-2020 was hosted virtually by TIFR, Hyderabad, due to the Covid pandemic. The third conference, CACEE-2022, took place from October 31 to November 4, 2022 at TIFR, Mumbai, in collaboration with the "CO2India Network 1st Annual Meet," gathering 300 researchers and featuring 54 speakers across 19 sessions. Looking forward to CACEE-2024 during 16-20 December 2024 at TIFR, Mumbai, our goal is to bring together researchers from various domains of catalysis. We aim to gather experts in novel catalyst design, synthesis and advancing mechanistic understanding through theory and spectroscopy. This conference will facilitate fundamental and technological advancements, and serve as a platform for exchanging ideas and fostering collaborations. The conference program will feature plenary, keynote, and invited talks by renowned researchers from around the world, along with oral and poster presentations by students and postdoctoral researchers. More details at www.cacee2024.org/ |