Prof.

Ashutosh Sharma
Respected Professor Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary to the Government of India and
h e a d o f t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f S c i e n c e a n d Te c h n o l o g y ( D S T ) s i n c e 2 0 1 5 , s t a n d s a s
a n e m i n e n t a c a d e m i c a n d r e s e a r c h e r. H o l d i n g a P h . D . f r o m S U N Y B u f f a l o , a n M S
f r o m P e n n s y l v a n i a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y, a n d a B . Te c h . f r o m I I T K a n p u r, P r o f e s s o r
S h a r m a h a s h e l d e s t e e m e d p o s i t i o n s a s a p r o f e s s o r, I n s t i t u t e C h a i r P r o f e s s o r, a n d
H e a d o f C h e m i c a l E n g i n e e r i n g a t I I T K a n p u r. H i s i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y r e s e a r c h i n
n a n o t e c h n o l o g y, t h i n p o l y m e r f i l m s , n a n o c o m p o s i t e s , a n d d e v i c e s h a s r e s u l t e d i n
over 350 peer-reviewed papers and 15 patents. Professor Ashutosh Sharma is
renowned for his profound contributions to wetting and adhesion, biomaterials,
and nanofabrication.

R e c i p i e n t o f p r e s t i g io u s a w a r d s s u c h a s t h e I n f o s y s P r i z e , T WA S S c i e n c e P r i z e ,
and J. C. Bose Fellowship, Professor Sharma is a Fellow of several esteemed
academies, including The Indian National Science Academy and The World
Academy of Sciences. He has served on editorial boards for top journals and
played a pivotal role in advancing science and technology in India. Professor
Ashutosh Sharma's impactful leadership has significantly shaped India's initiatives
i n s c i e n c e , i n n o v a t i o n , a n d t e c h n o l o g y. H i s e x p e r t i s e e x t e n d s t o m a j o r
international collaborations, industry-academia cooperation, and the mentorship of
successful nanotechnology startups. We are honored to have Professor Ashutosh
S h a r m a a s a d i s t i n g u i s h e d s p e a k e r, b r i n g i n g u n p a r a l l e l e d i n s i g h t s t o o u r f o r u m .
 D r. A rvind C R anade
R e s p e c t e d D r. A r v i n d C R a n a d e , a n e s t e e m e d s c i e n t i s t , c u r r e n t l y s e r v e s a s t h e D i r e c t o r
o f t h e N a t i o n a l I n n o v a t i o n F o u n d a t i o n ( N I F ) i n G a n d h i n a g a r. T h e N I F i s a p i v o t a l
national initiative dedicated to fortifying grassroots technological innovations and
p r e s e r v i n g t r a d i t i o n a l k n o w l e d g e i n I n d i a . D r. R a n a d e , h o l d i n g a P h D i n A s t r o n o m i c a l
Spectroscopy from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA),
Pune, embarked on his career as a Scientist for Astronomy and Space Science
C o m m u n i c a t i o n i n V i g y a n P r a s a r , D e p a r t m e n t o f S c i e n c e a n d Te c h n o l o g y, G o v e r n m e n t o f
India in 2004.

T h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r , D r. R a n a d e h a s s i g n i f i c a n t l y c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e f i e l d t h r o u g h
research papers, reports, and engaging in science communication. He actively
participates in writing popular science articles, scientific columns, and serves as a
subject expert in various electronic media. Recognized for his academic excellence, he
was honored with the Lilabai Pitkar Award at the Department of Space Sciences,
University of Pune, and received the prestigious 'Aacharya Shree' in 2013 and the
"ERADA VigyanPuraskar" in 2017.

D r. R a n a d e ' s c o m m i t m e n t t o f o s t e r i n g i n n o v a t i o n a n d s c i e n t i f i c c o m m u n i c a t i o n m a k e s
h i m a d i s t i n g u i s h e d f i g u r e i n t h e s c i e n t i f i c c o m m u n i t y. W e a r e p r i v i l e g e d t o h a v e D r .
A r v i n d C R a n a d e a s a s p e a k e r, b r i n g i n g h i s w e a l t h o f e x p e r i e n c e a n d k n o w l e d g e t o o u r
esteemed audience.
 Professor K. Ramachandran
Respected Professor K. Ramachandran, a distinguished educationist, currently
holds the position of Advisor at the India-Africa Institute of Educational
P l a n n i n g a n d A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ( I A I E PA ) , N a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e o f E d u c a t i o n a l
P l a n n i n g a n d A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ( N I E PA ) , N e w D e l h i . W i t h a n i l l u s t r i o u s c a r e e r,
Professor Ramachandran served as a Senior Education Specialist and Senior
Programme Coordinator with UNICEF from 1990 to 2008. Prior to his
international role, he contributed significantly as a faculty member at the
N a t i o n a l C o u n c i l o f E d u c a t i o n a l R e s e a r c h a n d Tr a i n i n g ( N C E RT ) , N e w D e l h i ,
spanning from 1975 to 1990.

Professor Ramachandran has played a pivotal role in shaping educational

policies and practices in India. His noteworthy contributions include the
p r e p a r a t i o n o f k e y r e p o r t s s u c h a s " I n d i a : E d u c a t i o n f o r A l l – To w a r d s Q u a l i t y
w i t h E q u i t y " a n d " Te a c h e r s i n I n d i a n E d u c a t i o n S y s t e m – H o w W e M a n a g e
Te a c h e r W o r k f o r c e i n I n d i a . " H i s e x p e r t i s e a n d d e d i c a t i o n t o a d v a n c i n g
e d u c a t i o n m a k e h i m a r e s p e c t e d f i g u r e i n t h e a c a d e m i c c o m m u n i t y.

W e a r e h o n o r e d t o h a v e P r o f e s s o r K . R a m a c h a n d r a n a s a s p e a k e r, b r i n g i n g h i s
wealth of knowledge and extensive experience in education to our esteemed
audience.