The Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, has been conferred on Dr. Shantikumar V Nair, dean of research and director of the Amrita Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine (ACNSMM) at the Amrita University. The award was conferred on him considering his tremendous contributions as an outstanding academician and researcher in the field of Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine. He is widely known for his innovations in tissue-engineered products, nano-medicine, energy conversion and storage devices.
Dr. Sandeep Trivedi, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research director chaired the function at which the award was presented. The certificate citation was read by the IIT-Mumbai director Dr Devang Khakar.
Dr. Nair on receiving the award said,” I recall that my BTech project at IIT-Mumbai was on Composite Materials. Just ten years later, I received the Presidential Award from US President Ronald Reagan for research in composites. That is the kind of foundation IIT-Mumbai helped me build. After 20 years of teaching in America, I returned to India in 2006 to serve my country, inspired by the message of Mata Amritanandamayi. An enduring lesson that I learnt from Amma is that one’s career is not about self-gain but serving society for the larger good.”