Sarvagya Singh Katiyar (1935 – 9 October 2018), FRSC, popularly known as S. S. Katiyar, was an Indian scientist specializing in

enzymology Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

, and the founder Director of

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU) is a public law school and a National Law University located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established as Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law Institute in 2005, and since then ...

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

. He is a former president of the

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 ...

and a former vice chancellor of

Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University Aerial view of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University Campus Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (CSJMU), formerly Kanpur University, is a public state university located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is administered under the state ...

, Kanpur and

Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology (CSAUA&T) is an agricultural university at Kanpur in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is named after the Indian revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad. Besides Kanpur, it also has con ...

. He was honoured by 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 ...

in 2003 with

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 Indian civilian award, followed by

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

, the third highest civilian award, in 2009.

Biography

Sarvagya Singh Katiyar, born in 1935, did his undergraduate (BSc) and master's (MSc) studies at

Agra University Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, formerly Agra University, is an Autonomous University located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. The university is named after B. R. Ambedkar, Bhimrao Ambedkar, Indian scholar, social reformer, and the architect of t ...

and secured his PhD in 1962 in chemical kinetics under the guidance of N. A. Ramaiah, an S. S. Bhatnagar Award winner, from the

National Sugar Institute The National Sugar Institute (NSI) established in 1936, is involved in research, training and advisory services to the sugar and allied industry, and functions under the Department of Food and Public Distribution of the Ministry of Consumer Af ...

, Kanpur. Moving to USA, he did post doctoral research, working with John W. Porter, at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

and was successful in determining the kinetic mechanism of the enzyme fatty acid

synthetase In biochemistry, a ligase is an enzyme that can catalyze the joining (Ligation (molecular biology), ligation) of two large molecules by forming a new chemical bond. This is typically via hydrolysis of a small pendant chemical group on one of the ...

complex for the first time. He returned to India to join the

Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) Hindi: भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान कानपुर) is a public institute of technology located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was ...

where he became the Head of the Chemistry department in 1989 and stayed with the institution till 1994 when he was appointed as the vice chancellor of Kanpur University, present day

. He held the post till his retirement in 2007 for four consecutive terms, the first vice chancellor to do so in the history of the university. Katiyar is known to have done extensive research on enzymes and its architecture which is reported to have assisted in understanding the ''catalytic domain of

kinases In biochemistry, a kinase () is an enzyme that catalysis, catalyzes the transfer of phosphate groups from High-energy phosphate, high-energy, phosphate-donating molecules to specific Substrate (biochemistry), substrates. This process is known as ...

and

dehydrogenases A dehydrogenase is an enzyme belonging to the group of oxidoreductases that oxidizes a substrate by reducing an electron acceptor, usually Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, NAD+/NADP+ or a Flavin group, flavin coenzyme such as Flavin adenine dinuc ...

'' and expanded the usage of enzymes for catalytic reactions for industrial purposes and as diagnostic tools. His researches have been documented by way of over 125 scientific papers published in peer reviewed journals. He has also guided several master's and doctoral students in their studies. The first biochemistry-biotechnology laboratory was established at the

during his tenure as the head of the department there. He is also known to have initiated 50 new courses at

as its vice chancellor. His contributions are noted behind the establishment of

, Lucknow where he was a founder director and has served as the vice chancellor of

. Katiyar is an elected fellow 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

and the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (originally the Lyceum of Natural History) was founded in January 1817 as the Lyceum of Natural History. It is the fourth oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization wit ...

. He is also a fellow of

American Institute of Chemists The American Institute of Chemists (AIC) is an organization founded in 1923 with the goal of advancing the chemistry profession in the United States. The institute is known for its yearly awards recognizing contributions of individuals in this fie ...

and the

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 ...

, UK. He is a former president of the

and the

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 ...

, and he has served the ''Uttar Pradesh State Council for Higher Education'' as its chairman. He was a member of the

as a member and as an additional member. He is the founder of the Prof. S. S. Katiyar Charitable Society, which has instituted the Prof. S. S. Katiyar Endowment Lecture award under the aegis of the

. Katiyar, a visiting professor at

Tokyo University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

, received the Acharya P. C. Ray Memorial Medal in 1990 and the Professor B. N. Ghosh Memorial Award in 1995. In 2001, he received the Soka University Award of Highest Honor, and he received three awards in 2003: the New Millennium Plaque of Honour for Chemical Sciences, Vigyan Gaurav Award from the

Government of Uttar Pradesh The Government of Uttar Pradesh (ISO: Uttar Pradesh Sarkār; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appointed constitutional head of the state by the President of I ...

and the national civilian award of

from the

. He is also a recipient of Gold Medal for Excellence in Science (2006), the Asutosh Mookherjee Memorial Award (2008) and the R. C. Mehrotra Memorial Life Time Achievement Award (2009). The

honoured him again in 2009 with the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Katiyar, Sarvagya Singh 1935 births Living people Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Heads of universities and colleges in India Scientists from Uttar Pradesh 20th-century Indian chemists Academic staff of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University Academic staff of IIT Kanpur Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, India Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Biography

See also

References