Vinod Prakash Sharma (6 April 1938 – 9 October 2015) was an Indian

malariologist Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, fatigue (medical), tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In se ...

and entomologist, known for his work in vector biology and bioenvironmental control of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. Recipient of many awards, including 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 ...

, he was again 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, ...

, in 2014, by bestowing on him the third highest civilian award, the

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 ...

Biography

Vinod Prakash Sharma was born on 6 April 1938 in

Prayagraj Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...

, in Uttar Pradesh, India. After early education locally, he joined

Allahabad University , mottoeng = "As Many Branches So Many Trees" , established = , type = Public , chancellor = Ashish Chauhan , vice_chancellor = Sangita Srivastava , head_label ...

from where he secured MSc in 1960 and

DPhil 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 ...

in 1964. In 1965, he left to

South Bend South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, USA and joined the

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

as a post doctoral research associate, but later, shifted to

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

, USA. Sharma returned to India in 1968 and joined Allahabad University, again, to complete his DSc which he promptly did in 1979. Sharma, lived in

Vasant Kunj Vasant Kunj is a posh neighbourhood located in South West Delhi district, Delhi, India. Its nearest Metro Station is Vasant Vihar metro station. The area is home to several prominent personalities, one being the former prime minister of India, ...

, New Delhi and took care of his duties as the Distinguished Professor at the ''Centre for Rural Development and Technology'',

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi is a public institute of technology located in New Delhi, India. It is one of the 23 IITs created to be Centres of Excellence for training, research and development in science, engineering and technolo ...

Career

Sharma started his career at the Forest Research Institute, in the high altitude area of Dehradun, as a Pool Officer, in 1969. A year later, he joined the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

sponsored Indian Council of Medical Research project as a Senior Scientist on genetic control of Culicine mosquitoes, in 1970, where he worked till 1975. The next move was to the Vector Control Research Centre and Malaria Research Unit, in 1976, as the deputy director, for a 2-year stint there. In 1978, he joined the Malaria Research Centre, New Delhi as its deputy director. During his stint at the Malaria Research Centre, he started working on the upgradation of the centre and, as a result, the centre was upgraded by the Government of India, renaming it as the National Institute of Malaria Research, in 1982. Sharma was made its first director, a post from where he retired, in 1998, as Additional Director-General of

Indian Council of Medical Research The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...

. On his retirement from the government service, the

recognised Sharma's services by making him 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 ...

Distinguished Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (India) at the ''Centre for Rural Development and Technology'',

IIT Delhi The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi is a public institute of technology located in New Delhi, India. It is one of the 23 IITs created to be Centres of Excellence for training, research and development in science, engineering and technolo ...

. He is also leading the ''Safe Water'' campaign initiated by National Academy of Sciences, India

Major achievements

Sharma has been credited with many scientific and research achievements. His studies on the chemo and radio sterilisation of male mosquitoes are well documented. He is credited with developing a new technique for sex separation of mosquitoes. He has also worked extensively on the bioenvironmental malaria control which led to many innovations in the subject. He is also acknowledged for his contributions to vector biology. Sharma is known to have developed the Malaria Research Unit, New Delhi into a full-fledged Research Centre, the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR). He has also contributed to the popularisation of science, through his books, journals and education programs.

Positions held

Vinod Prakash Sharma has held many positions of importance, by way of recognition and those of responsibility, throughout his career. * Fellow of Royal Asiatic Society * Fellow of the

National Academy of Medical Sciences National Academy of Medical Sciences (India), better known by its acronym, NAMS, is a nodal agency under the Government of India, which acts as an advisory body to the Government in matters related to National Health Policy and Planning and as a ...

, * Fellow of National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad * Fellow of

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 ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

* Fellow of Entomology Society of India, New Delhi * Fellow of National Environmental Science Academy, New Delhi * Fellow of Indian Society for Parasitology * Fellow of Indian Society of Malaria and other communicable diseases * Honorary Fellow – Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh * Honorary Fellow – Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences, Hardwar * Fellow – Zoological Society of India * President of National Academy of Vector borne Diseases * President of National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad * President of

Indian Society for Parasitology Indian Society for Parasitology is a non profit making registered society formed under the aegis of the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, working as a platform for the parasitologists in India for dissemination of knowledge and exchange ...

* Council Member – International Congress of Entomology * board member – Malaria Foundation Incorporated * Governing Council Member – ICMR * Member – WHO Expert Committee on Malaria

Awards and recognitions

– 2014 * Gujar Mal Modi Award – 2013 * Meghnad Saha Distinguished Fellowship *

– 1992 * WHO Darling Foundation Prize – 1999 * GI Inventions Award * Chancellor's Prize * M. O. T. Aiyengar Award * B. R. Ambedkar Centenary Award – 2000 *

Om Prakash Bhasin Award Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Science and Technology is an Indian award, instituted in 1985 to recognize excellence in the areas of science and technology. The award, given individually or collectively to a group, is annual in cycle and carries a p ...

– 1985 * Ranbaxy Award – 1990 * M. L. Gupta Trust Award * FICCI Cash Award – 1998 * Vaswik Award * Green Scientist Award – 2001 * Best Scientist Award * G. P. Chatterjee Memorial Award * Dr. R. V. Rajaram Oration Award * Dr. U. S. Srivastava Memorial Lecture Award * Professor L. S. Ramaswami Memorial Oration Award * Life Time Achievement Award by the Indian Society of Malaria and other communicable diseases * B. N. Singh Oration Award * B. K. Srivastava Oration Award * Distinguished Parasitologist – World Parasitologist Federation (WPF) – 2010 * Gold Medal lifetime Achievement Award – Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences – 2012

Works

Sharma was the Chief Editor of an important journal, the Journal of Parasitic Diseases, which was active in dissemination of knowledge by publishing reviews and research papers on a regular basis. He was also the Chief Editor of the in-house journal of 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 ...

. He has also published many books on the subjects of bioenvironmental control and vector biology, both in English and Hindi languages. Books in English * * * * * Books in Hindi * * Apart from the books, Sharma has written over 300 research papers in various national and international journals. * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* Reference on Nirdeshak * GM Modi Science Foundation Award report * Lecture at

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Vinod Prakash 1938 births 2015 deaths Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering People from Prayagraj district Malariologists 20th-century Indian biologists Indian medical writers Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences Fellows of the National Academy of Medical Sciences Scientists from Uttar Pradesh Indian parasitologists Indian medical researchers The Darling Foundation Prize laureates