Bengaluru: Celebrating its decade-long presence, the Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) honoured the winners of the Infosys Prize 2018 at an awards ceremony held in the city on Saturday.
Awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions across six fields, namely Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences, the Infosys Prize includes a pure gold medal, a citation and a prize purse of $100,000.
The winners were felicitated by Prof. Manjul Bhargava, Fields Medalist, and R. Brandon Fradd, Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University, in an event attended by eminent scientists and academics from across the country and abroad, business leaders, young researchers and students.
"The Infosys Prize serves as an inspiration and source of encouragement for young scientists and researchers to expand the purview of scientific research, both in India and globally. I congratulate the winners of the Infosys Prize 2018 for their contribution to science and research, and for the well-deserved recognition they are receiving," said Prof. Bhargava, who is also the First Distinguished Chair for the Public Dissemination of Mathematics at the National Museum of Mathematics in New York and a former winner of the Infosys Prize (Mathematics-2012).
The winners were chosen from 244 nominations by jurors headed by eminent academics: Prof. Pradeep K. Khosla (University of California, San Diego) for Engineering and Computer, Prof. Amartya Sen (Harvard University) for Humanities, Prof. Mriganka Sur (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for Life Sciences, Prof. Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan (New York University) for Mathematical Sciences, Prof. Shrinivas Kulkarni (California Institute of Technology) for Physical Sciences, and Prof. Kaushik Basu (Cornell University and former SVP, World Bank) for Social Sciences.
ISF president K. Dinesh said the past decade has seen some incredible innovations in the field of scientific research. "Collaborative research has been a watchword in the space as individuals from across geographies have come together to ideate and resolve some of the most pressing global issues and contribute to academic progress. All the winners today have made great strides in their respective fields and we, at the Infosys Science Foundation, are extremely proud to bring their achievements to the public stage. We hope they continue to inspire future generations," he said.
Renowned personalities and ISF Trustees N. R. Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani, T. V. Mohandas Pai, S. Gopalakrishnan, S. D. Shibulal and Srinath Batni were present at the event.
