6 eminent researchers awarded prestigious Infosys Prize

The Infosys Science Foundation on Saturday awarded the winners of the Infosys Prize 2022 for their significant contributions in the field of research in six different categories at a presentation ceremony here.

Those who bagged the award are Suman Chakraborty in engineering and computer science, Sudhir Krishnaswamy in humanities, Vidita Vaidya in life sciences, Mahesh Kakde in mathematical sciences, Nissim Kanekar in physical sciences, and Rohini Pande in social sciences.

The work done by the winners has potential impact in the areas of accessible healthcare and diagnostics, inclusive economic and social policy design, a better understanding of our mental health and how the Indian Constitution protects the country's democratic polity, the Foundation said in a statement.

The awardees were felicitated with a gold medal, a citation, and a prize purse of USD 1,00,000, by chief guest Professor Shafi Goldwasser, Turing Award laureate and Director, Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, the statement read.

Speaking on the occasion, Kris Gopalakrishnan, President, Infosys Science Foundation, said: "The Infosys Science Foundation has instituted the Infosys Prize to highlight the importance of scientific research for the development of India and the world."

The winners were chosen by jury panels chaired by eminent academics: Prof. Arvind (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for engineering and computer science; Prof. Akeel Bilgrami (Columbia University) for humanities; Prof. Mriganka Sur (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for life sciences; Prof. Chandrashekhar Khare (University of California, Los Angeles) for mathematical sciences; Prof. Shrinivas Kulkarni (California Institute of Technology) for physical sciences; and Prof. Kaushik Basu (Cornell University) for social sciences, according to the Infosys Science Foundation.

The event was attended by distinguished scientists and academicians from around the world, business leaders, young researchers, and students.

Trustees of the Infosys Science Foundation - S Gopalakrishnan, N R Narayana Murthy, Srinath Batni, K Dinesh, Nandan Nilekani, Mohandas Pai, Salil Parekh, and S D Shibulal - were present at the award ceremony.