The Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) has announced the winners of the Infosys Prize 2019 in six categories - Engineering and Computer Sciences, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences.

The Prize celebrates the success of the recipients in science and research by recognizing their achievements in each category. The prize for each category comprises a pure gold medal, a citation and a prize purse of USD 100,000 (or its equivalent in Rupees) this year.

A panel of accomplished jurors comprising renowned scholars and professors shortlisted the winners of Infosys Prize 2019 from 196 nominations. With a history of awarding some of the best talent, who have earned prestigious international honors like Fields Medal and the Nobel Memorial Prize more recently, the ISF believes that this year’s winners too will leave an indelible impression in their domains.

S. D. Shibulal, co-Founder, Infosys Limited and President of the Infosys Science Foundation, said, “The Infosys Prize continues to recognize exemplary work in scientific research and enquiry. Many Infosys Prize laureates have gone on to contribute significantly in key areas like healthcare, genetics, climate science, astronomy and poverty alleviation, amongst other things. Their work has immediate implications for the human race and the planet. We hope it catalyzes social development.”

Elaborating on the importance of Fundamental research at the event,N. R. Narayana Murthy, Founder – Infosys, Trustee – Infosys Science Foundation,said, “We should start helping our youngsters pursue fundamental research enthusiastically. They should be encouraged and equipped to become contributors to solving huge problems that confront us every day. I want India to be a place where discovery and invention happen every month.”

 

Winners of the Infosys Prize 2019 in relevant categories are:

Life Sciences category:

The Infosys Prize 2019 for Life Sciences is awarded to Manjula Reddy, Chief Scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad for her groundbreaking discoveries concerning the structure of cell walls in bacteria. Dr. Reddy and her colleagues have revealed critical steps of cell wall growth that are fundamental for understanding bacterial biology. This work could potentially help in creating a new class of antibiotics to combat antibiotic resistant microbes.

Physical Sciences

The Infosys Prize 2019 for Physical Sciences is awarded to G. Mugesh, Professor, Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru for his seminal work in the chemical synthesis of small molecules and nanomaterials for biomedical applications. His work has contributed to the understanding of the role of trace elements, selenium and iodine, in thyroid hormone activation and metabolism, and this research has led to major medical advances.

Jury Chairs

Prof. Kaushik Basu | Prof. Arvind | Prof. Shrinivas Kulkarni | Prof. AkeelBilgrami | Dr.Mriganka Sur | Prof. Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan

Trustees

Srinath Batni | K. Dinesh | S. Gopalakrishnan | N. R. Narayana Murthy | Nandan Nilekani | T. V. Mohandas Pai | Shibulal S.D.

The Prize celebrates the success of the recipients in science and research by recognizing their achievements in each category.