Chennai: Senior nuclear scientist Chandrashekhar Gaurinath Karhadkar has taken over as the director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam near here.
He succeeds B Venkatraman who retired from services on Friday.
Karhadkar, who graduated from the 31st batch of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Training School in Mumbai, joined the Reactor Operations Division of Reactor Group, an official release said here.
He has served in various capacities in the last 36 years of his service at BARC, the release said.
As Director of the Reactor Group, Karhadkar was responsible for the overall Research Reactor Programme of BARC, including safe and efficient operation, utilisation, decommissioning, and planning for new research reactors at BARC.
He has worked extensively to improve the fuel performance of the Dhruva reactor which includes changing the material specifications, interacting with vendors to develop relevant material, and studying and improving the manufacturing processes.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he ensured that the reactor was operated with the help of officers in round-the-clock shifts to replace the operators who were not able to commute due to the lockdown.
Karhadkar has chaired several administrative, financial, technical, and regulatory committees. He has been instrumental in reforming the procurement procedures, which has simplified the procurement process for speedy execution of projects in BARC.
Published 31 May 2024, 15:23 IST