Ajay Kumar Sood (born 26 June 1951)
[ is an Indian physicist, researcher and is serving as the 4th ]Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India The Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) is the chief advisor to the Government of India, government on matters related to scientific policy. It is currently a Secretary to the Government of India, Secretary level position created in 1999 by the Atal ...
. He is also holder of 2 US and 5 Indian patents, known for his pioneering research findings on graphene
Graphene () is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice nanostructure. and nanotechnology
Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...
. He is a Distinguished Honorary Professor of Physics at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute was ...
. The Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
honoured him in 2013, with the Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the fields of science and technology. Sood was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2015.[ He has been on the Physical Sciences jury for the ]Infosys Prize
The Infosys Prize is an annual award given to scientists, researchers, engineers and social scientists of Indian origin (not necessarily born in India) by the Infosys Science Foundation and ranks among the highest monetary awards in India to re ...
from 2019.
Biography
Ajay Kumar was born on 26 June 1951, in Gwalior
Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...
, India, into a Sood
Sood or Sud is an Indian surname. Notable people bearing the name Sood include:
*Ajay K. Sood, (born 1951), Indian physicist and Padma Shri awardee
*Amit Sood, Indian American physician, researcher, writer at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Roch ...
family. He graduated in Physics (BSc Hons) from the Punjab University, Chandigarh
Panjab University (PU) is a collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Laho ...
, in 1971, and followed it with a master's degree, (MSc Hons) a year later, from the same university. In 1973, he joined the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research
Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) is one of India's premier nuclear research centres. It is the second largest establishment of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), next to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), located at Kal ...
, Kalpakkam
Kalpakkam is a township in Tamil Nadu, India, situated on the Coromandel Coast 70 kilometres south of Chennai. A conglomerate of two villages (Puduppattinam and Sadurangappatinam) and a DAE township, it is about from Thiruvanmiyur and fro ...
, as a scientist where he worked till 1988. During this period, he enrolled for research at the Indian Institute of Science
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute wa ...
from where he obtained his PhD, in 1982. He also did post doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart, Germany, from 1983 to 1985.
The Indian Institute of Science
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute wa ...
offered Sood the post of an associate professor at the institution in 1988, which he accepted. In 1994, he was promoted as the Professor of the Department of Physics at IISc. Four years later, he rose to the position of the chairman of the Division of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, IISc, which he held until 2008. Sood has also been holding the position of the honorary professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) is a multidisciplinary research institute located at Jakkur, Bangalore, India. It was established by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, to ...
, Bengaluru since 1993.
Sood lives in Bengaluru, Karnataka state, India, associating himself with the Indian Institute of Science
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute wa ...
and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) is a multidisciplinary research institute located at Jakkur, Bangalore, India. It was established by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, to ...
.
Research and legacy
Sood has done extensive research on hard condensed matter and soft condensed matter physics, with special emphasis on Raman scattering
Raman scattering or the Raman effect () is the inelastic scattering of photons by matter, meaning that there is both an exchange of energy and a change in the light's direction. Typically this effect involves vibrational energy being gained by a ...
and nanotechnology
Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...
. He has been credited with many path breaking findings and inventions, which are said to be of daily and scientific uses.
Sood Effect
Sood, through his experiments in 2003, generated electrical signals by passing liquids over solids or through nanotubes and this phenomenon has now been termed by the scientific world as Sood Effect.
Research on resonance Raman studies
Sood, along with his team of scientists at the Indian Institute of Science, has done experiments on semiconductor super lattices, fullerenes
A fullerene is an allotrope of carbon whose molecule consists of carbon atoms connected by single and double bonds so as to form a closed or partially closed mesh, with fused rings of five to seven atoms. The molecule may be a hollow sphere, ...
, solid C60, C70 and single walled carbon nanotubes and reported to have unearthed new concepts on optical phonons. He was successful in exciting squeezed phonon states in KTa03 crystals, reported to be for the first time, by using femtosecond
A femtosecond is a unit of time in the International System of Units (SI) equal to 10 or of a second; that is, one quadrillionth, or one millionth of one billionth, of a second. For context, a femtosecond is to a second as a second is to about 31. ...
laser pulses and employing impulsive simulated Raman scattering
Raman scattering or the Raman effect () is the inelastic scattering of photons by matter, meaning that there is both an exchange of energy and a change in the light's direction. Typically this effect involves vibrational energy being gained by a ...
. He has also discovered that liquid flow in a singled walled carbon nanotube induces the voltage and current to flow along the floor direction of the tube.
Other research efforts
Sood has also experimented with soft condensed matter like micelle
A micelle () or micella () (plural micelles or micellae, respectively) is an aggregate (or supramolecular assembly) of surfactant amphipathic lipid molecules dispersed in a liquid, forming a colloidal suspension (also known as associated collo ...
composed viscoelastic
In materials science and continuum mechanics, viscoelasticity is the property of materials that exhibit both viscous and elastic characteristics when undergoing deformation. Viscous materials, like water, resist shear flow and strain linearly wi ...
gels which establish a ''deterministic spatiotemporal chaotic dynamics in the nonlinear flow regime''. He has also invented an ultrasensitive immunoassay
An immunoassay (IA) is a biochemical test that measures the presence or concentration of a macromolecule or a small molecule in a solution through the use of an antibody (usually) or an antigen (sometimes). The molecule detected by the immunoass ...
by subjecting colloids to an electrical field, thus generating nonequilibrium phenomena, an invention that has relevance to the medical field. He has developed a medical diagnostic kit, too, which is said to be useful for the diagnosis of diseases across the spectrum.
Sood is now working on the modalities of enhancing the viscosity of a material by adding nanotubes without increasing its weight. This will, for example, enable us to make lighter weight bullet proof vests with increased efficiency.
Academic fellowships and positions
Sood is a fellow of many science academies and institutions such as the Indian Academy of Sciences
The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Indian Physicist and Nobel Laureate C. V. Raman, and was registered as a society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meet ...
(FASc) (1991), the Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi for Indian scientists in all branches of science and technology.
In August 2019, Dr. Chandrima Shaha was appointed as the president of Indian National Science Academ ...
(FNA) (1996), The World Academy of Sciences
The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...
(FTWAS) (2002) and the National Academy of Sciences, India
The National Academy of Sciences, India, established in 1930, is the oldest science academy in India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president.
Fellows
*Suddhasatwa Basu
* Sudha Bhattacharya
* Ch ...
(FNASc) (1995) and holds the Bhatnagar Chair of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the l ...
. He is the incumbent Secretary General of The World Academy of Sciences
The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...
and a former President of the Indian Academy of Sciences
The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Indian Physicist and Nobel Laureate C. V. Raman, and was registered as a society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meet ...
from 2010 to 2012 and the Vice-President of the Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi for Indian scientists in all branches of science and technology.
In August 2019, Dr. Chandrima Shaha was appointed as the president of Indian National Science Academ ...
from 2008 to 2010. He also served as a member of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Materials in 2008.
Sood is an executive editor of the international journal, ''Solid State Communications'', with a SCImago Journal Rank
The SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) indicator is a measure of the prestige of scholarly journals that accounts for both the number of citations received by a journal and the prestige of the journals where the citations come from.
Rationale
Citati ...
(SJR) of 0.874.
*
He is also an editorial board member of the journals, ''Scientific Reports
''Scientific Reports'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific mega journal published by Nature Portfolio, covering all areas of the natural sciences. The journal was established in 2011. The journal states that their aim is to assess solely th ...
'', ''Particle'' and '' EPL (Europhysics Letters)''.
Sood has also served on the scientific advisory committee to the Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
from 2009 to 2014, and is the Chairman of the National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi.
Awards and recognitions
Sood is a recipient of many awards and honours. He was awarded Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, Applied science, applied or Fundamenta ...
, in 1990, by the Government of India. In 2013, the Government of India followed it up with the fourth highest civilian award, Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
.
The Third World Academy of Sciences
The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...
(TWAS) recognised Sood's services by conferring on him the TWAS Prize
This is a list of recipients of the TWAS Prize, awarded annually by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).
Summary
Agricultural Sciences
Biology
Chemistry
Earth Sciences
Engineering Sciences
Mathematics
Medical Sc ...
in Physics, in 2000. The same year, he received four more awards viz. ''G. D. Birla Science Award'', ''Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is a Non-governmental organization, non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India.
History
Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Ind ...
(FICCI) Award'', ''Materials Research Society
The Materials Research Society (MRS) is a non-profit, professional organization for materials researchers, scientists and engineers. Established in 1973, MRS is a member-driven organization of approximately 14,000 materials researchers from academi ...
(India) Medal'' and ''Millennium Gold Medal'' of Indian Science Congress
Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...
. Two years later, in 2002, he received the ''Homi Jehangir Bhabha
Homi Jehangir Bhabha, (30 October 1909 – 24 January 1966) was an Indian nuclear physicist, founding director, and professor of physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Colloquially known as "Father of Indian nuclear pro ...
Medal'' of Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi for Indian scientists in all branches of science and technology.
In August 2019, Dr. Chandrima Shaha was appointed as the president of Indian National Science Academ ...
. The next year, in 2003, he was selected for the ''Indian Institute of Science
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute wa ...
(IISc) Alumni Award for Excellence in Research for Science''. Three more awards came his way the same year, viz.
'' M. N. Saha Birth Centenary Award'' of the Indian Science Congress
Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...
, ''Sir C. V. Raman
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (; 7 November 188821 November 1970) was an Indian physicist known for his work in the field of light scattering.
Using a spectrograph that he developed, he and his student K. S. Krishnan discovered that when ...
Award'' of the University Grants Commission and the ''Goyal Prize in Physics''. he has also received awards such as:
* DAE Raja Ramanna
Raja Ramanna (28 January 1925 – 24 September 2004) was an Indian physicist who is best known for his role in India's nuclear program during its early stages.
Having joined the nuclear program in 1964, Ramanna worked under Homi Jehan ...
Award – Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) is a multidisciplinary research institute located at Jakkur, Bangalore, India. It was established by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, to ...
−2005
* National Award in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology – .html" ;"title="Department of Science and Technology (India)">Department of Science and Technology, Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
– 2006
* Lifetime achievement award – Punjab University, Chandigarh
Panjab University (PU) is a collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Laho ...
– 2006
* Bhatnagar Fellowship – Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the l ...
– 2007
* ''Vigyan Ratan Award'' – Punjab University, Chandigarh
Panjab University (PU) is a collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh, Punjab. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Laho ...
– 2010
* H. K. Firodia Award in Science and Technology – 2010
* Bangalore Nano Award – Government of Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...
– 2010
* G. M. Modi Award for Science – 2012
* Indian Science Congress
Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...
Award for outstanding contributions to Science – 2014
* R. D. Birla Award for excellence in Physics – Indian Physics Association – 2014
Sood was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2015.
Publications
Sood has published over 290 research articles and papers in national and international peer reviewed journals. His articles have been published in book format, too. A random selection of his articles are:
* Phonon interference in BaTiO 3: High-pressure Raman study
* Spatiotemporal rheochaos in nematic hydrodynamics
* Origin of the unusual dependence of Raman D band on excitation wavelength in graphite-like materials
* Density functional theory of laser-induced freezing in colloidal suspensions
* Experimental study of the decomposition of Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7− x into tetragonaland orthorhombic phases[ 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7− x into tetragonaland orthorhombic phases"]
* Structure of poly (propyl ether imine) dendrimer from fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulation and by small angle x-ray scattering
* Pressure behaviour of single wall carbon nanotube bundles and fullerenes: A Raman study
* Second-order Raman scattering by confined optical phonons and interface vibrational modes in GaAs-AlAs superlattices
* Growth of CdS x Se 1-x nanoparticles in glass matrix by isochronal thermal annealing: confined acoustic phonons and optical absorption studies
* Resonance Raman scattering in GaAs-Al x Ga 1-x As superlattices: Impurity-induced Fröhlich-interaction scattering
* Binding of nucleobases with single-walled carbon nanotubes: Theory and experiment
* Reentrant phase transition in charged colloidal suspensions
* Structure and vibrational properties of carbon tubules
Sood has delivered keynote addresses at many seminars such as:
* 1998 – Platinum Jubilee Lecture – Indian Science Congress
Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...
* 2000 – Prof. K. Rangadhama Rao Memorial Award Lecture – Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi for Indian scientists in all branches of science and technology.
In August 2019, Dr. Chandrima Shaha was appointed as the president of Indian National Science Academ ...
* 2003 – Brahm Prakash Memorial Lecture – Indian Institute of Metals
Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) was formed in Kolkata in 1946 under the leadership of Dr. Dara P. Antia, who was then Chief Metallurgist of Indian Aluminum Co. The IIM is over 60 years old premier professional Metallurgical Institute set up to ...
, Kalpakkam Chapter
* 2004 – James William McBain
James William McBain FRS (March 22, 1882 – March 12, 1953) was a Canadian chemist.
He gained a Master of Arts at Toronto University and a Doctor of Science at Heidelberg University.
He carried out pioneering work in the area of micelles at th ...
Award Lecture – National Chemical Laboratory
The National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) is an Indian government laboratory based in Pune, in western India.
Popularly known as NCL, a constituent member of the CSIR India, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) India, it was estab ...
, Pune
* 2004 – A. V. Rama Rao Award Lecture – Indian Association of Cultivation of Science, Kolkatta
* 2009 – Platinum Jubilee Lecture – Indian Science Congress
Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...
* 2009 – Prof. Meghnad Saha Memorial Lecture Award – The National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Natio ...
* 2010–11 – DAE-C. V. Raman
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (; 7 November 188821 November 1970) was an Indian physicist known for his work in the field of light scattering.
Using a spectrograph that he developed, he and his student K. S. Krishnan discovered that when ...
Lecture – Indian Physics Association
* 2011 – Erudite Scholar – M. G. University, Kottayam
Patents
Sood holds 7 patents, based on his research and experiment findings.
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See also
* Graphene
Graphene () is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice nanostructure.
* Soft matter
* Raman scattering
Raman scattering or the Raman effect () is the inelastic scattering of photons by matter, meaning that there is both an exchange of energy and a change in the light's direction. Typically this effect involves vibrational energy being gained by a ...
* Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...
* Indian Institute of Science
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute wa ...
* Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) is a multidisciplinary research institute located at Jakkur, Bangalore, India. It was established by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, to ...
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sood, Ajay K.
1951 births
Living people
Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering
People from Gwalior
Scientists from Madhya Pradesh
20th-century Indian physicists
Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology
Indian nanotechnologists
Indian Institute of Science faculty
Fellows of the Royal Society
TWAS laureates
Indian patent holders