Kerala-based chemical scientist Suresh Das may become the next director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), if the Prime Minister's Office accepts the recommendation of a top-level selection panel.
A search-cum-selection panel on Monday recommended the name of 58-year-old Das as the next chief of the Rs 3,500 crore research council as the incumbent Samir K Brahmachari retires on Tuesday after six years of service as the CSIR director-general.
Born in February 1955, Das currently is the director of National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram.
The search-cum-selection panel, which suggested Das' s name, is headed by Cabinet Secretary Ajith Seth and has Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Pulak Chatterjee as the ex-officio member.
Five top scientists—R Chidambaram, P N Tandon, M K Bhan, Gobardhan Mehta and Devang Khakhar—are scientific members of the committee, sources told Deccan Herald.
As the Prime Minister's Office may take some time to decide on the appointment, Department of Science and Technology secretary T Ramasami has been asked to hold additional charge as CSIR director-general for the time being.
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