Professor Thalappil Pradeep, the Deepak Parekh Institute Chair Professor and professor of chemistry, from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has become the latest Indian member of the prestigious United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE).
Professor Pradeep was bestowed the honour for his contributions to cluster chemistry and the discovery and implementation of affordable drinking water solutions.
A Padma Shri awardee, sixty-year-old Professor Pradeep is a recipient of the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize and a student of Professors CNR Rao and MS Hegde, under whose tutelage he earned a Phd from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
His election to the Academy comes a year after the induction of Professor Aniruddha Bhalachandra Pandit, vice chancellor and UGC Professor, Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai and Professor Raman Sujith, Chair professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Like Professor Pradeep, sixty-six-year-old Professor Pandit was also inducted into the Chemical Engineering wing of the Academy.
Professor Sujith had earned the honour last year for his contributions to aerospace engineering and was the second Indian after Dr BN Suresh, ex-director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO, to be elected to the wing.
Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala was the first IIT-Madras professor to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He is currently President of IIT Madras Research Park and Incubation Cell.
The National Academy of Engineering is organized into twelve engineering categories. It has 2310 active members from the US and 332 international members.
Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani is another notable member of the Academy.
