IISc announces list of distinguished alumnus/alumna awards for 2025

Bengaluru: The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has announced that eight scientists and engineers have been selected to receive the institute's distinguished alumnus/alumna awards and young alumnus/alumna medals for the year 2025.

The awards are aimed at recognising "exceptional contributions made by IISc alumni to their profession, society, and the institute", and the awardees are evaluated by a committee chaired by the Director, IISc.

This year’s distinguished alumnus/alumna awardees are B Dattaguru, Murthy Gudipati, Sharmila Mande, Suman Chakraborty, and V Muralidharan.

Dattaguru is an expert on structural integrity, fracture mechanics, and aircraft structures, whose work has contributed to the safety of missiles and satellite launch vehicles and Gudipati is a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and one of the world’s foremost experts in laboratory astrophysics.

A pioneering computational biologist and bioinformatics leader, Sharmila, is widely recognised as one of the first scientists in India to pioneer microbiome research.

Chakraborty is a globally recognised researcher who has pioneered innovations that bridge fundamental fluid mechanics, computational modelling, and translational medicine, and Muralidharan is the founder and managing trustee of Sevalaya Charitable Trust, a non-profit organisation transforming rural lives through holistic development across education, health, skill development, and rural sustainability.

The other set of awards, the young alumnus/alumna medals, is conferred on researchers under the age of 40. This year's awardees include Anjani Priyadarsini, a leading expert in quantum technologies, computational mathematics, and theoretical physics; Arpita Biswas, an internationally recognised researcher bridging theoretical insights with real-world impact through the combined power of game theory and machine learning, at Rutgers University; and Pranesh Padmanabhan, an interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Queensland, whose work focuses on advancing mechanistic understanding and treatment strategies for conditions such as Hepatitis C, Covuid-19, and Alzheimer’s disease, by combining data-driven modeling with cutting-edge experimental biology.

“We are delighted to confer these awards on a diverse group of alumni who have made exceptional contributions to research and education. We are especially happy to support and recognise our young alumni who are blazing new trails in their fields," said G Rangarajan, Director, IISc.

The awardees will be honoured at a ceremony on December 20, at the JN Tata Auditorium, IISc.