Asok Kumar Barua

Indian condensed matter physicist (1936–2021)

  • Presidency College (B.Sc.)
  • Rajabazar Science College (M.Sc.)
  • IACS (Ph.D.)
OccupationCondensed matter physicistYears activeSince 1964Known forSolar Photovoltaics, Optics and OptoelectronicsAwardsPadma Shri
Distinguished Materials Scientist of the Year Award
Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference Award
ICSC-Materials Science prize

Asok Kumar Barua (1 July 1936 – 30 May 2021) was an Indian condensed matter physicist and the honorary Emeritus Professor of Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur,[1][2] who focused on research in optics and optoelectronics.[3] He was honoured by the Government of India in 2003 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.[4]

Biography

Asok Kumar Barua was born on 1 July 1936[5] in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.[1] He did his schooling at Hare School and graduated in Physics with honours from the Presidency College, Kolkata.[1][6] His masters studies were at the Rajabazar Science College, Kolkata University (1956) after which he secured his PhD[5] in 1960[6] from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) under the guidance of Professor B. N. Srivastava.[1] After completing his post doctoral research in USA, he started his career in 1964 by joining IACS[5] as a Reader where he became a professor in 1971,[7] a director in 1982 and worked there till 1989.[1][6][8]

Barua had done research in optics and optoelectronics and had been credited with the indigenous development of amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cells and solar modules[6][9] including production technology and equipment.[1] He was also known to have developed a process for Radar opaque coating of aircraft canopies and windshields.[1] His researches have been documented by way of over 300 scientific papers published in peer reviewed journals of international stature.[1][3][6] He had also mentored several students in their doctoral research.[1][6][7]

An honorary professor of the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur[2] from 2010-2018,[1] Barua was an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore[10] and the West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology.[5][6][7][9][11] He had held the chair of the Research and Development committee of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission on solar photovoltaics.[1] He had been a member of the Task Force on Solar Research Initiatives set up by the Department of Science and Technology.[1][5][6][7] He had served the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials as its member,[1] the Sixth International Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference as its chairman,[7] the Indian Physical Society as its president[7] and Birla Industrial and Technological Museum as the chairman of its governing council.[5][6] He was also associated with Hhv Center For Advanced Photovoltaic Technologies as an additional director.[12]

Barua received the Distinguished Materials Scientist of the Year Award in 2002 from the Materials Research Society of India.[1][6] The Government of India honoured him in 2003 with the civilian award of Padma Shri. He was also a recipient of the Photovoltaic Science and Engineering Conference Award from the Solar Energy Society of India[6] and ICSC-Materials Science prize of the Materials Research Society of India.[5]

Barua died from COVID-19 in Kolkata on 30 May 2021, at the age of 84.[13]

See also

  • flagIndia portal
  • iconScience portal

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "KIIT University". KIIT University. 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b "IIEST". Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur. 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Microsoft Academic Search". Microsoft Academic Search. 2015. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Padma Awards. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "NSC". NSC. 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "IACS". IACS. 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "RCAIS". RCAIS. 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  8. ^ "RCAIS Council". RCAIS. 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Techno india University". Techno india University. 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Indian Academy of Sciences". Indian Academy of Sciences. 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  11. ^ "WAST Fellow" (PDF). IICB. 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Look n Find". Look n Find. 2015. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Condolence Message". Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Institute on Facebook. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

External links

  • "Profile on Microsoft Academic Search". Microsoft Academic Search. 2015. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
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