Vishweshwaraiah Prakash is an Indian structural biologist, food technologist and a former director-general designate of 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 ...

(CSIR). He is a former director of the

Central Food Technological Research Institute The Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) is an Indian food research institute and laboratory headquartered in Mysore, India. It is a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. India is the wor ...

(CFTRI),

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

and was involved with the

International Union of Food Science and Technology The International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) ( ) is the global scientific organization and voice for food science and technology representing more than 300,000 food scientists, engineers and technologists through its work in m ...

as the chairman of its International Academy during 2008-10. He received 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 or fundamental, in biology, ...

, the highest Indian award in the science and technology category in 1996. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of 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 ...

in 2004,

Biography

Prakash was born in the south Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

on 23 November 1951, graduated (BSc) from Mysore University and followed it up with a master's degree (MS) from the same institution. Later, he secured his doctoral degree (PhD) from

University of Mysore The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission ...

in 1976 and, obtaining a fellowship, he moved to US in 1976 and did post-doctoral research at Texas Medical Centre in Houston and

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

, Boston till 1980. He returned to India in 1981 and joined

(CSIR) as a Pool Officer at their Mysore research unit,

(CFTRI). He served the organization for several years and became its director in 1994. He headed the centre for 13 years till his appointment as the director-general of CSIR in December 2006 and was supposed to take charge in January 2007, but did not assume office. In 2008, he was selected as the president of the International Academy of the

(IAFoST), a global association of food technologists and held the office till 2010. Prakash is known to have done extensive research in

structural homology A protein superfamily is the largest grouping (clade) of proteins for which common ancestry can be inferred (see homology). Usually this common ancestry is inferred from structural alignment and mechanistic similarity, even if no sequence similari ...

of seed proteins and the ''association-dissociation and denaturation profiles of these proteins''. His work is reported to have assisted in the understanding of the behaviour of several seed proteins from a stability perspective and revealed more about their structural biology. His research findings have been documented by way of over 200 articles published in CFTRI publications and other peer reviewed national and international journals. His researches are known to have wide-ranging applications in commercial food industry and he holds 50 patents, some of them on preserved sugar cane juice, coconut sap (

Neera Neera, also called palm nectar, is a sap extracted from the inflorescence of various species of toddy palms and used as a drink. Neera extraction is generally performed before sunrise. It is sweet, translucent in colour. It is susceptible to ...

) and baked snacks. Besides, he has written six books and 20 review chapters; ''Leafy spices'', a reference guide on the botanical and agricultural aspects of agro-products yielding essential oils of leafy spices, is one among them. During his tenure as the head of CFTRI, he established the ''Advanced School of Protein Chemistry and Technology'', for advanced research. His contributions are also reported behind the CFTRI initiative to supply 200,000 food packages to the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indian coasts, along with other areas. Prakash serves as the president of two major food-related organizations, namely, the International Society of Nutraceuticals And Nutritionals (ISNAN), and Indian Academy of Nutraceuticals and Nutritionals (IANAN), and is a former president of the Nutrition Society of India (NSI). During his stint at CFTRI, he coordinated the activities of the

United Nations University The (UNU) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare thr ...

at the institution and chaired the ''

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

(FAO) panel on Food Losses and Food Wastes'' as well as the ''FAO High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition'' (HLPE). He serves as a member of the Editorial Board of ''Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety'', a journal published by the

Institute of Food Technologists The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is an international, non-profit scientific society of professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related areas in academia, government and industry. It has more than 17,000 members from ...

, chairs the Advisory Board of the NuFFooDS Magazine, and sits in the executive editorial Board of the ''Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture'', published by

John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807 that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company produces books, journals, and encyclopedias, ...

. He is an IUoFST visiting faculty at Saigon Technology University and an adjunct professor of Nutrition at the

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

, Boston. He chairs the ''Task Force on Nutritionals and

Nutraceuticals A nutraceutical or bioceutical is a pharmaceutical alternative which claims physiological benefits. In the US, "nutraceuticals" are largely unregulated, as they exist in the same category as dietary supplements and food additives by the FDA, und ...

'' of International Union of Nutritional Sciences and Technology and the Research Advisory Committee of the

Central Institute of Fisheries Technology The Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) is an autonomous organization established by the government of India, engaged in research related to fishing and fish processing in the country. The institute has its headquarters in Matsyapur ...

(CIFT), Kochi. He is also a member-at-large of the Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI), a scientific community facilitating scientific advancement in food technology.

Awards and honours

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 ...

elected Prakash as their fellow in 1995 and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences followed suit in 1998. 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 ...

honoured him with Fellowship in 2002 and the next year, 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 chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Royal Instit ...

elected him as 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 ...

. He is also an elected Fellow of the

Indian National Academy of Engineering The Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), founded in 1987, comprises India's engineers, engineer-scientists and technologists covering the entire spectrum of engineering disciplines. The Academy is registered under the Societies Reg ...

, Indian Academy of Social Sciences and the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists, India (2008). Prakash, a Distinguished Scientist of the

, is reported to have received over 55 awards including award lectures, starting with the 1988 Golden Jubilee Award of

Mysore University The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission ...

, followed by ''P. S. Sarma Memorial Award'' of the Society of Biological Chemists (India) in 1989 and ''Laljee Godhoo Smarak Nidhi Award'' of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists, India in 1992. He was awarded the

of the CSIR, the highest Indian science award, in 1996 and the Government of Karnataka awarded him the second highest civilian award of the state, Rajyotsava Prashasthi, the same year. He received the Indian Independence Golden Jubilee Award in 1997 and two awards, Prof. V. Subramanyan Industrial Achievement Award and CFTRI Best Alumnus Award, in 1999. All India Food Processors' Association (AIFPA) honoured him with Soilendra Krishna Mitra Memorial Award in 2000 and the year 2001 brought him two more awards, DuPont Protein Technologies International Award and

FICCI The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. History Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Indian businessman G.D. Birla an ...

Award in Life Sciences and Agriculture, followed by Kashalkar Memorial Award in 2003. The Government of India included Prakash in the 2004 Republic Day honours list for the civilian honour of the

. The Government of Karnataka honoured him again with ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' in 2012 and the Lifetime Achievement Award of SCI, UK reached him in 2013, the same year as he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the

. 38th B.C. Guha Memorial Lecture Award of the

Indian Science Congress 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 ...

(2001), 6th Golden Jubilee Commemorative Talk Award of the

(2007), 19th Srikantia Memorial Lecture Award of Nutrition Society of India (2007), C. Ramachandran Memorial Lecture Award of NFI (2007) and Dr. Rajammal P. Devdas's Oration Lecture Award of the Avinashilingam University for Women, (2009) are some of the notable orations delivered by him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prakash, Vishweshwaraiah 1951 births Living people Scientists from Karnataka University of Mysore alumni Brandeis University alumni Food technology 20th-century Indian biologists Structural biologists 20th-century Indian inventors Texas Medical Center Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Biological Science Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry Academic staff of United Nations University Indian editors Tufts University faculty Food and Agriculture Organization officials Indian officials of the United Nations

Biography

Awards and honours

See also

References

External links