BENGALURU: Eight alumni of IISc have been chosen for the institute’s 2025 Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Awards and Young Alumnus/Alumna Medals, which recognise outstanding contributions to research, innovation, and service.As per IISc, the awards are among its highest honours for former students, acknowledge alumni who have excelled in their professions and made significant contributions to society and the Institute. This year, five alumni have been selected for the Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Awards, and three for the Young Alumnus/Alumna Medals, given to researchers under the age of 40.
Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Awardees
B Dattagaru
B Dattaguru | Former Chair, IISc’s Dept of Aerospace EngineeringDattagaru is one of India’s foremost experts on structural integrity and fracture mechanics. His work has improved the safety of missiles, satellite launch vehicles, and aircraft structures, and he developed software tools crucial to India’s aerospace programmes. A Padma Shri awardee, he earned his BE in Electrical Engineering (1962) and ME and PhD in Aeronautical Engineering (1965, 1973).
Murthy Gudipati
Murthy Gudipati | Senior Research Scientist at Nasa’s JPLGudipati is a global authority in laboratory astrophysics. His research explores the origins of life on Earth and its possible existence elsewhere, contributing to Nasa’s planetary and astrobiology missions. He earned his PhD from IISc’s Department of Organic Chemistry in 1987 and has also served as Satish Dhawan Visiting Chair at the Institute.
Sharmila Mande
Sharmila Mande | Chief Scientist at TCS ResearchMande is a pioneering computational biologist who has advanced microbiome research in India. Her algorithms for analysing metagenomic data are widely cited globally. She completed her PhD from IISc’s Department of Physics in 1991 and has played an influential role in shaping India’s bioinformatics ecosystem.
Suman Chakraborty
Suman Chakraborty | Director, IIT KharagpurChakraborty is known for innovations that merge fluid mechanics and medicine — from low-cost disease diagnostics to non-invasive oral cancer screening tools. An IISc alumnus of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, he completed his ME in 1999 and PhD in 2002.
V Muralidharan
V Muralidharan | Founder & Managing Trustee of Sevalaya Charitable TrustMuralidharan has dedicated over three decades to improving education, healthcare, and livelihoods in rural India. Sevalaya runs schools, community colleges, and health centres across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. He completed his ME in Electrical Engineering in 1984.
Young Alumnus/Alumna Medallists
Anjani Priyadarsini
Anjani Priyadarsini | Works at Amazon Web Services (AWS) IndiaPriyadarsini is an expert in quantum technologies, computational mathematics, and theoretical physics. She is also active in policy engagement for quantum technology adoption. She completed her PhD from the Centre for High Energy Physics in 2017.
Arpita Biswas
Arpita Biswas | Asst Prof at Rutgers UniversityBiswas combines game theory and machine learning to tackle challenges in climate action, public health, and education systems. She earned her ME and PhD from the Department of Computer Science and Automation in 2014 and 2020.
Pranesh Padmanabhan
Pranesh Padmanabhan | Researcher, University of QueenslandPadmanabhan focuses on modelling and understanding diseases such as Hepatitis C, Covid-19, and Alzheimer’s. His interdisciplinary work links molecular biology with clinical outcomes. He completed his PhD from the Department of Chemical Engineering in 2015. Go to Source
