Rajinder Kumar (born 1934) is an Indian chemical engineer and a former professor at the Indian Institute of Science. He is known for his studies on multiphase phenomena and is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences, and the Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Engineering Sciences in 1976. He received the third highest Indian civilian award of the Padma Bhushan in 2003. He is also a recipient of

Om Prakash Bhasin Award Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Science and Technology is an Indian award, instituted in 1985 to recognize excellence in the areas of science and technology. The award, given individually or collectively to a group, is annual in cycle and carries a p ...

and the

VASVIK Industrial Research Award VASVIK Industrial Research Award is an Indian award, instituted to recognize and promote excellence in industrial research in the areas of science and technology. The award is given annually to individuals or groups and carries a citation and a ca ...

Biography

Rajinder Kumar, born on 9 September 1934 in the Indian state of Punjab, graduated in science (BSc hons) from Punjab University, Chandigarh in 1954 and did his master's degree at

Delhi Technological University Delhi Technological University (DTU), formerly known as the Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) is a state university in Rohini, Delhi, India. It was established in 1941 as Delhi Polytechnic. In 1952, it started giving degrees after being affil ...

(then known as Delhi Polytechnic) to receive his degree of MSc Tech from Punjab University in 1955. He joined the Indian Institute of Science in 1958 as a junior research assistant and simultaneously did his doctoral studies under the guidance of E. Weingaertner and R. L. Datta but submitted his thesis at Punjab University to secure a PhD in 1965. He served IISc in various capacities, as a lecturer (1963–67), assistant professor (1967–70), professor (from 1970) and at the time of his superannuation in 1995, he was holding the position of Divisional Chairman and Dean. He was also a member of the Internal Review Committee of the IISc in 2014. Post-retirement, he serves as an honorary professor at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.

Legacy

Focusing his studies mainly on multiphase phenomena, Kumar is known to have done extensive researches on hydrodynamics and mass transfer in multiphase systems. He developed a two-stage model of bubble formation from single submerged nozzles which clarified the discrepancies in experimental data and is in use with industrially–relevant distributors. He developed a set of performance prediction protocols to be employed in foam bed contactors and batch sonochemical reactors. He also contributed to the development of a large scale

fluidized bed reactor A fluidized bed reactor (FBR) is a type of reactor device that can be used to carry out a variety of multiphase chemical reactions. In this type of reactor, a fluid (gas or liquid) is passed through a solid granular material (usually a catalyst) ...

by which

copper sulphate Copper sulfate may refer to: * Copper(II) sulfate, CuSO4, a common compound used as a fungicide and herbicide * Copper(I) sulfate, Cu2SO4, which is uncommonly used * Copper(II) sulfate, CuSO4 is greenish blue Copper compounds {{Chem-st ...

is manufactured directly from

chalcopyrite Chalcopyrite ( ) is a copper iron sulfide mineral and the most abundant copper ore mineral. It has the chemical formula CuFeS2 and crystallizes in the tetragonal system. It has a brassy to golden yellow color and a hardness of 3.5 to 4 on the Mo ...

s. His researches have been documented in several peer-reviewed articles; the online article repository of Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 63 of them. He sat in the Society and the Governing Body of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and has been associated with government departments and agencies such as the

Department of Science and Technology Department of Science and Technology may refer to: *Department of Science and Technology (Australia), an Australian Government department between November 1980 and December 1984 * Department of Science and Technology (India) * Department of Science ...

Indian Council of Medical Research The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...

National Digital Research Centre NDRC is a national accelerator programme in Ireland, for "globally ambitious" entrepreneurs, delivered by a consortium led by Dublin-based Dogpatch Labs, and supported by multiple venture capital firms. It offers a "mentorship-driven" approach, ...

and

National Innovation Foundation National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

as a member of their various committees. He was a member of the Indian National Science Academy Council in 1990 and held the vice-president's chair during 1991–92.

Awards and honors

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded Kumar the

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in biology, ...

, one of the highest Indian science awards in 1976 and the

Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers The Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) is the professional body for chemical engineers in India. The headquarter of IIChE is in the campus of Jadavpur University, Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of r ...

awarded him the Herdilia Award in 1985. A year later, he received the

followed by the K. G. Naik Gold Medal of the

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a university in 1949 after the independence of ...

in 1988. The Indian National Science Academy selected him for the Syed Hussain Zaheer Medal in 1989; INSA would honor him again in 1997 with Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Medal The year 1991 brought him three awards,

, FICCI Award and Alumnus Award for excellence in research of the Indian Institute of Science. The Government of India included him in the 2003 Republic Day honors list for the third highest civilian award of the Padma Bhushan. In 2008, the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award. Kumar held the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Visiting Fellowship of INSA in 1995. The Indian Academy of Sciences elected him as a fellow in 1979 and he became an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1985. He is also an elected fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. The list of award orations delivered by him include Professor N.R. Dhar Memorial Lecture of the National Academy of Sciences, India.

Selected bibliography

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Notes

References