Goverdhan Mehta FNA, FASc, FTWAS, FRS, FRSC (born 26 June 1943) is an Indian researcher and scientist.

Career

Mehta received his BSc and MSc from the

BITS Pilani Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani) is a Deemed university in Pilani, Jhunjhunu, India. It focuses primarily on higher education and research in engineering and sciences. After expansion to a campus in Dubai, it has b ...

and PhD from

Pune University Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Poona, is a collegiate public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganeshk ...

. His post-doctoral research was at the

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

under Prof. Don Farnum and at the Ohio State University under Prof. Paul G. Gassman. He joined IIT Kanpur in 1969 and remained there until 1977. From 1977 to 1998, he was Professor of Chemistry at the

University of Hyderabad The University of Hyderabad (IAST: ''Hydarāvād visvavidyālayamu'') is a top ranking public central research university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Founded in 1974, this mostly residential campus has more than 5,000 students a ...

and from 1998 to 2010, he was a Professor 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 ...

Bangalore. Since 2010 onwards, he is University Distinguished Professor and Dr. Kallam Anji Reddy Chair at Department of Chemistry, University of Hyderabad, India. Mehta has authored more than 450 research papers. He is a recipient of over 40 Honorary Doctorates from India/abroad and has delivered over 300 invited/plenary lectures at Universities/Institutions across the world.

Academic and Professional positions

* Research Associate,

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

and the

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

Universities, US,1967–1969 * Lecturer & Assistant Professor,

Indian Institute of Technology The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are central government owned public technical institutes located across India. They are under the ownership of the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. They are governed by the Institu ...

, Kanpur, 1969–1977 * Professor,

, Hyderabad 1977–1998, Founder Dean 1977–1986 * Hon. Professor,

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 ...

, 1990–2009 * Visiting Professor,

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

, Indiana, USA, Jun-1990 * Srinivasa Ramanujan Research Professor,

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 ...

, 1992–1997 * Vice-Chancellor,

, 1994–98 * Professor, Department of Organic Chemistry,

, 1998–2005 * Director,

, Bangalore, 1998–2005 * Tarrant Distinguished Professor,

University of Florida, Gainesville The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, USA, Jun-2002 * CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow,

, Bangalore, 2005–2010 * National Research Professor, 2009–2014 * Lilly-Jubilant Chair Professor, University of Hyderabad, 2010–2018 * Dr. Kallam Anji Reddy Chair, University of Hyderabad, 2018–

Awards

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology 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 Chemical Sciences awarded by CSIR (1978) * Basudev Bannerji Medal & Prize awarded by Indian Chemical Society (1979) * Science & Technology Award of Rajasthan Government (1980) * Professor R.D. Desai Medal & Prize awarded by Indian Chemical Society (1982) * FICCI Award in Physical Sciences (1983) * Golden Jubilee Commemoration Medal (Chemical Sciences) awarded by

(1989) * G.D. Birla Award for Excellence in Science (1992) * Goyal Prize in Chemical Sciences awarded by Sri Kala Ram Trust (1994) * Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru National Award for Excellence in Science awarded by MP Government (1994) *

Humboldt Prize The Humboldt Prize, the Humboldt-Forschungspreis in German, also known as the Humboldt Research Award, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to internationally renowned scientists and scholars who work outside of G ...

(Humboldt-Forschungspreis) awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany (1995) (first in India) * Acharya P.C. Ray Medal awarded by Indian Chemical Society (1995) * Dr. Y. Nayudamma Gold Medal awarded by Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences (now Telangana Academy of Sciences) (1998) *

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, ...

awarded by Government of India (2001) * TWAS Medal awarded by World Academy of Sciences (2001) * Millennium Plaque of Honour awarded by

Indian Science Congress Association 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 ...

(2002) * C V Raman Medal awarded by

(2003) *

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

awarded by Republic of France (2004) * Rajvotsava Award by Karnataka Government (2004) * Centenary Prize awarded by

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

(2005) * Trieste Science Prize awarded by World Academy of Sciences (2007) * G M Modi Award for Innovative Science and Technology (2007) * H. K. Firodia Award for Science & Technology (2010) * Distinguished Alumnus Award from

(2011) * Cross of the Order of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) awarded by the Federal Republic of Germany (2016) *

INSA The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) is a non-profit, nonpartisan 501(c)(6) professional organization based in Arlington Virginia for public and private sector members of the United States Intelligence Community. History ...

Medal for Promotion and Service to Science (2017)

Fellowships

* Fellow 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 ...

* Fellow of 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 Nati ...

* Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences * Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

* Foreign Member of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

* Fellow of the World Innovation Foundation (WIF) * Fellow of the

* Fellow of

Indian Chemical Society The Indian Chemical Society is a scientific society dedicated in the field of chemistry from India. It was established in 1924 with Prafulla Chandra Ray as its founding president. The same year the society started to publish its "Quarterly Journa ...

* Fellow of the Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences (now Telangana Academy of Sciences) * Founding Member of Society for Scientific Values

Important Positions

* President of

(1999-2001) * Co-Chair (with Bruce Alberts of US NAS) of the Inter Academy Council (IAC) (2000-2005) * President,

Chemical Research Society of India Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) is an India based scientific society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, professio ...

(2002-2005) * President,

Association of Indian Universities Association of Indian Universities (AIU) is an organisation and association of major universities in India. It is based in Delhi. It evaluates the courses, syllabi, standards, and credits of foreign Universities pursued abroad and equates them i ...

(2003) * President of

ICSU The International Council for Science (ICSU, after its former name, International Council of Scientific Unions) was an international non-governmental organization devoted to multilateralism, international cooperation in the advancement of scie ...

(2005-2008) * Chairperson, National Accreditation and Assessment (NAAC) (2006-2012) * Jury Member for Physical Sciences,

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 ...

(2012–2015) * Chairman, Board of Governors,

Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IIT Jodhpur or IITJ) is a public technical university located in Jodhpur in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is one of the eight new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) established by the Ministry ...

(2014-2018) * Chairman,

Indian Statistical Institute Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) is a higher education and research institute which is recognized as an Institute of National Importance by the 1959 act of the Indian parliament. It grew out of the Statistical Laboratory set up by Prasanta C ...

, Kolkata (2016-2020) * Chairperson, Council of Management,

(JNCASR) (2018-2022) * Member, Board of Directors, Dr. Reddy's Institute of Life Sciences * Chairman & Member, University Grants Commission Panel on Chemistry (1983–93) * Member, Science & Engineering Research Council (SERC) (1984–90), (1994–97) * Member, Scientific Advisory Committee, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (1984–88) * Member, Government of India Scientific Commission on Bhopal Gas Leakage (1985–87) * Chairman, National Committee for IUPAC (1991–93) * Member, India-European Union (EU) Round Table of Eminent Persons

Controversy

In 2006, the US Government refused Mehta a visa; this decision was strongly criticised by Indian and American scientists. The US Ambassador to India David Mulford offered his apology to Prof. Mehta.

Publications

* * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Goverdhan 1943 births Living people Scientists from Rajasthan Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Fellows of the Royal Society Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering Savitribai Phule Pune University alumni Directors of the Indian Institute of Science People from Jodhpur Indian chemical engineers Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2004 Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany