Pucadyil Ittoop John is an Indian
plasma physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
. He occupies the
Meghnad Saha
Meghnad Saha (6 October 1893 – 16 February 1956) was an Indian astrophysicist who developed the Saha ionization equation, used to describe chemical and physical conditions in stars. His work allowed astronomers to accurately relate the spe ...
Chair in Plasma Science and Technology at the
Institute for Plasma Research, Ahmedabad.
After completing his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
at
Aligarh Muslim University, John joined 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 ...
, where he established an experimental plasma physics program in 1972. He was the Chairman of the Plasma Physics Group at
PRL until 1982.
John was one of the leading members of the group who initiated India’s Fusion Research Program, also known as Plasma Physics Program (PPP), which developed into the
Institute for Plasma Research (IPR). He supervised, and was instrumental in, the erection and commissioning of the first indigenous Indian
Tokamak
A tokamak (; russian: токамáк; otk, 𐱃𐰸𐰢𐰴, Toḳamaḳ) is a device which uses a powerful magnetic field to confine plasma in the shape of a torus. The tokamak is one of several types of magnetic confinement devices being ...
,
Aditya
Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a ...
, and was also the project leader of its pulsed power systems.
In the early 1990s, he started a plasma processing program at the
Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) to facilitate plasma based industrial applications, which grew into the
Facilitation Centre for Industrial Plasma Technologies
The Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) is an autonomous physics research institute in India. The institute is involved in research in aspects of plasma science including basic plasma physics, research on magnetically confined hot plasmas an ...
(FCIPT) at
Gandhinagar
Gandhinagar (, ) is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the Industrial corridor between Delhi, the political capital of India, and Mum ...
, Gujarat, India. He was the head of FCIPT for many years, and is still a member of its governing Council.
In 2002–2003, John served as Head of the Physics Section of the
International Atomic Energy Agency. He was also part of the Indian Task Force for
ITER negotiations, before India joined the ITER as a full member. Currently, also, he is chairman of the Board Of Research in Fusion Science & Technology (BRFST), which is involved with the National Fusion Program in India. Through the National Fusion Program, John was reported in 2010 to be "''currently working on an administrative framework for funding universities and educational institutions in basic research, and human resource development in fusion science and technology.''"
John has close to 100 publications in international journals and holds 12 patents for plasma devices and plasma-aided manufacturing processes. His book “Plasma Sciences and the Creation of Wealth”, published by Tata McGraw-Hill in 2005 addresses a broad audience on the value addition through plasma-based technologies. A translation of this book into the Chinese language has been brought out. His second book " Plasma Processes for Energy and Environment" was published by Lambert Publishers in November 2017. He is a
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
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 ...
and the
Gujarat Academy of Science. In 2010, John received the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
award from 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, ...
.
John’s interests transcend science. He paints in oils and writes poetry. His book of poetry “Feng Shui and Other Poems” has been published online. He is a mentor to InCube Ventures Ltd. Ahmedabad; the first social venture approved by SEBI. After retirement and return to Kottayam in 2013, he is actively involved with the Senior Citizens’ Forum, Kottayam and helps the elders to acquire expertise in computer and internet usage.
P. I. John is the son of Ittoop of the Pucadyil house. He is married to Minnu and has two children. His elder son, Joseph serves with the Roche Diagnostics in Switzerland as the International Business Leader; Laboratory Software Solutions. Joseph’s family consists of Janaki, his wife and Rahul their son. His second son, Thomas, a Biologist is an Associate Professor with the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune. Thomas’s family consists of his wife Shanti and their son Nikhil.
References
External links
Institute for Plasma Research, Gujarat, IndiaFacilitation Centre for Industrial Plasma Technologies
{{DEFAULTSORT:John, Pucadyil Ittoop
Living people
20th-century Indian physicists
Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences
Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering
Aligarh Muslim University alumni
Scientists from Kottayam
Indian astrophysicists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Indian plasma physicists