Nissim Kanekar (born 11 September 1973) is an Indian astrophysicist, cosmologist and a professor at
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) (Hindi:राष्ट्रीय रेडियो खगोल भौतिकी केन्द्र) of India is a research institution in India in the field of radio astronomy is located ...
of
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is a public deemed research university located in Mumbai, India that is dedicated to basic research in mathematics and the sciences. It is a Deemed University and works under the umbrella of the D ...
. Known for his research on the evolution of the electron proton mass ratio, Kanekar is a member of the
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...
and a recipient of Swarna Jayathi Fellowship of the
Department of Science and Technology. 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 ...
, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the
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 ...
, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to physical sciences in 2017.
Biography
![University of Pune -Main Building 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/University_of_Pune_-Main_Building_1.JPG)
Nissim Kanekar, born on 11 September 1973 in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
in the western Indian state of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, did his undergraduate studies at
Ramnarain Ruia College
Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College is a college affiliated to the University of Mumbai, in Matunga, Mumbai, India. It was established in June 1937. The University of Mumbai granted autonomous status to Ramnarain Ruia College in year 2017. It co ...
of
Mumbai University
The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai.
The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed ...
and, after earning a graduate degree (BSc) in physics in 1991, moved to
Savitribai Phule 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 ...
for his master's studies to obtain an MSc in 1995.
He enrolled for his doctoral studies at the same institution and carrying out his research at
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) (Hindi:राष्ट्रीय रेडियो खगोल भौतिकी केन्द्र) of India is a research institution in India in the field of radio astronomy is located ...
, a research institute managed by
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is a public deemed research university located in Mumbai, India that is dedicated to basic research in mathematics and the sciences. It is a Deemed University and works under the umbrella of the D ...
, he secured a PhD in 2000.
His post-doctoral work was at NCRA during 2000–01, at
Kapteyn Institute
The Kapteyn Astronomical Institute is the department of astronomy of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
The institute is named after its founder, Jacobus Cornelius Kapteyn, who lived from 1851 to 1922. Jacobus Kapteyn was appointed ...
of
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen in ...
during 2002–04 under a NOVA fellowship and at the Socorro center of the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a federally funded research and development center of the United States National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. for the purpose of radio a ...
during 2004–08 holding Jansky and Max-Planck fellowships. In 2009, he joined NCRA as a reader in 2009
and has served as an associate professor since 2012.
Legacy and honours
![Lyman Alpha Blob](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Lyman_Alpha_Blob.jpg)
One of the principal contributions of Kanekar was the establishment of observational bounds for the study of the evolution of the electron proton mass ratio.
He has also done reportedly notable work on the fine structure constant over cosmological time scales.
He was one among the group of astronomers who observed a pair of distant
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye ...
-like galaxies in early 2017
which has since been detailed in a paper published by the scientists.
[ ii158-µm emission from the host galaxies of damped Lyman-alpha systems">] His studies have been documented by way of a number of articles
and
ResearchGate
ResearchGate is a European commercial social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. According to a 2014 study by ''Nature'' and a 2016 article in ''Times Higher Education'' ...
, an online article repository of scientific articles, has listed 115 of them.
He has also delivered several lectures on astronomy which include a series of lectures delivered at
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali (IISER Mohali) is an autonomous public university established in 2006 at Mohali, Punjab, India. It is one of the seven Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), estab ...
in 2014.
Kanekar received the URSI Young Scientist Award of the
International Union of Radio Science
The International Union of Radio Science (abbreviated ''URSI'', after its French name, french: link=no, Union radio-scientifique internationale) is one of 26 international scientific unions affiliated to the International Council for Science ( ...
in 2005 which he declined.
Three years later, the
Astronomical Society of India
The Astronomical Society of India (ASI) is an Indian society of professional astronomers and other professionals from related disciplines. It was founded in 1972, with Vainu Bappu being the founder President of the Society, and as of 2010 has a m ...
chose him, along with Niayesh Afshordi, for the 2008 Vainu Bappu Gold Medal and he became a Ramanujan Fellow of the
Department of Science and Technology in 2009, the tenure of the fellowship running until 2014.
In 2015, he shared the bi-annual Hari Om Prerit Vikram Sarabhai Award of the
Physical Research Laboratory
The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) is a National Research Institute for space and allied sciences, supported mainly by Department of Space, Government of India. This research laboratory has ongoing research programmes in astronomy and astrop ...
with Dibyendu Chakraborty; the same year, he was selected for the Swarna Jayanthi fellowship of the
Department of Science and Technology.
He has held various research fellowships, including Max Planck Fellowship (2007–09), Jansky Fellowship (2004–08), and NOVA Fellowship (2002–04) and he declined the Bolton Fellowship twice and ASTRON Fellowship once. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded Kanekar the
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 ...
, one of the highest Indian science awards in 2017.
The lectureships held by him include the Delta Lecturership Award (2014) of the
National Central University
National Central University (NCU, ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Kwet-li̍p Chung-yong Thài-ho̍k'', Wade–Giles: ''Kuo2 Li4 Chung Yang Ta4 Hsüeh2'' or ''中大'', ''Chung-ta'') is a public research university with long-standing traditions based in Taiwa ...
, Distinguished Visitorship (2005–06) of
Australia Telescope National Facility
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)'s radio astronomy observatories are collectively known as the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF), with the facility supporting Australia's research in radio astrono ...
and ESO Visiting Fellowship (2005) of the
European Southern Observatory
The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, commonly referred to as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental research organisation made up of 16 mem ...
.
He is also a member of the
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...
.
Selected bibliography
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See also
Notes
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanekar, Nissim
Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Physical Science
21st-century Indian physicists
Indian scientific authors
1973 births
Living people
Indian astrophysicists
Indian cosmologists
University of Mumbai alumni
Savitribai Phule Pune University alumni
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research faculty
Scientists from Mumbai