Bikash Sinha (born 1945) is an Indian

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate ca ...

, active in the fields of

nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

and

high energy physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) and b ...

. Bikash Sinha was the director of the

Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics The Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP) is an institution of basic research and training in physical and biophysical sciences located in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, India. The institute is named after the famous Indian physicist Meghnad Saha. ...

and

Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre The Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) is a research and development unit of the Department of Atomic Energy. The VECC is located in Kolkata, India and performs research in basic and applied nuclear sciences and development of the latest nu ...

and the chairman of the Board of Governors of the

National Institute of Technology, Durgapur National Institute of Technology Durgapur (also known as NIT Durgapur or NITDGP), formerly known as Regional Engineering College, Durgapur (also known as REC Durgapur or RECDGP), is a public technical university in the city of Durgapur in W ...

in June 2005. He retired from service as the director of Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre and the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in June 2009. Presently he is the Homi Bhabha Chair Professor of the

. He is also a member of scientific advisory board to the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India ( IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of th ...

. He received

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 confe ...

in 2001 and

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished servi ...

in 2010.

Biography

Sinha hails from the Royal family of

Kandi, Murshidabad Kandi is a sub-divisional town and a municipality in Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kandi subdivision and is located on the east bank of Kana Mayurakshi River. It is also known as the ...

. He studied Physics for his bachelor's degree at Presidency College ow University Kolkata from 1961 to 1964, graduating with high honors. He then proceeded to King's College, Cambridge, for higher studies in his subject. He is the recipient of S.N. Bose Birth Centenary 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 ...

Association in 1994. Sinha joined Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai in 1976 after returning from England and was Director of

. He is a Fellow of the prestigious

Indian National Science Academy The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is t ...

as recognition of his outstanding research in Physics (1989). He is also a Fellow of

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...

, Allahabad (1993) and the

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 mee ...

, Bangalore (2004). Currently, he is the chairman of board of governors,

(NIT Duragpur). Sinha was nominated as a Member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister from 27 January 2005. He has been re-elected for the second time as a Member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister from December 2009.

Honours

Bikash Sinha has been awarded D.A.E. – Dr. Raja Ramanna Prize 2001 and delivered the Pandya Endowment lecture Award, IPA, 2001 and Rais Ahmed Memorial Lecture Award, Aligarh, 2001. He is a member of the Visva-Bharati University's Academic Council since 2002 and a member of the Senate of

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) is a public institute of technology established by the Government of India in Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Established in 1951, the institute is the first of the IITs to be established ...

. He has become the Fellow of the 3rd World Academy of Sciences, Italy, 2002 and Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, 2004. Recently he was elected to the fellowship of the Institute of Physics, UK Bikash Sinha was the Vice-chancellor of

West Bengal University of Technology Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT), formerly known as West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT), is a public state university located in Kalyani, West Bengal, India. It is funded completely by the Government of West Ben ...

since February 2003 to 18 December 2003 in addition to his regular responsibilities and also a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, Govt. of India. Sinha has been awarded R.D. Birla Award for Excellence in Physics – 2002. Recently Sinha has been awarded an honorary doctorate in physics from the

National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU; uk, Національна академія наук України, ''Natsional’na akademiya nauk Ukrayiny'', abbr: NAN Ukraine) is a self-governing state-funded organization in Ukraine th ...

(2005). The Ministry of Human Resource Development appointed Sinha as the Chairman of the Local Committee of the

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata (IISER-K or IISER Kolkata) is an autonomous institute in science and education field located in Mohanpur near the town of Kalyani in Nadia, West Bengal, India. It was established by ...

, in June 2005. He was awarded the

Humboldt Research Award The Humboldt Prize, the Humboldt-Forschungspreis in German, also known as the Humboldt Research Award, is an award given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany to internationally renowned scientists and scholars who work outside of G ...

by the

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (german: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung) is a foundation established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and Rese ...

, Germany, in November 2005. He was awarded Meghnad Saha Memorial Lecture Award (2007) from The National Academy of Sciences, India, on 28 August 2007 and he was elected as President of the Indian Physics Association in November 2007. He was awarded prestigious "Bidhan Memorial Honor" on 1 July 2008 from Bidhan Memorial Trust, Kolkata. Recently Sinha was appointed a distinguished visiting scholar by the

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

in March 2009 and also elected as Fellow of the Institute of Physics, London, the same year. Bikash Sinha has been conferred Padma Bhushan Award in 2010 for his significant contribution in science and technology. Dr. Sinha has been awarded Honorary Doctorate from

National Institute of Technology, Silchar National Institute Of Technology Silchar (NIT Silchar or NITS) is one of the 31 NITs of India and was established in 1967 as a Regional Engineering College in Silchar. In 2002, it was upgraded to the status of National Institute of Technology and ...

2010,

Burdwan University The University of Burdwan (also known as Burdwan University or B. U.) is a public university in Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal, India. It was established by the West Bengal Government as a teaching and affiliating university on 15 June 1960 with ...

2012,

Netaji Subhas Open University Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU) is a state open university imparting distance education in eastern India History It was established in 1997 to commemorate the birth centenary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It has its headquarters at 1, W ...

2013 and

National Institute of Technology Agartala National Institute of Technology Agartala (NIT Agartala or NITA) is a technology-oriented institute of higher education established by India's Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India in Agartala, India. It was founded as Trip ...

2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinha, Bikash Indian institute directors 20th-century Indian physicists Living people People associated with Santiniketan Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Scottish Church Collegiate School alumni Presidency University, Kolkata alumni University of Calcutta alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of London University of Calcutta faculty Academics of King's College London West Bengal University of Technology faculty 1945 births Bengali Hindus Scientists from Kolkata People from Murshidabad district