IISc Names Eight Scientists for 2026 Alumni Awards and Medals

The Indian Institute of Science has chosen eight scientists and engineers for its 2026 distinguished alumnus and alumna awards and young alumnus and alumna medals. These honours celebrate former students who have made major contributions to their careers, society, and the institute itself.

Award Winners

A committee led by IISc director Govindan Rangarajan reviewed the nominations. The distinguished award winners are B.S. Manjunath, Dipakar Das Sarma, Jagannath Nayak, Maruthi R. Akella, and Rajat Moona. Mr. Manjunath works as a computer scientist and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Mr. Sarma serves as an ANRF National Science Chair and Emeritus Professor at IISc. Mr. Nayak holds the role of Director-General of Missiles and Strategic Systems at DRDO. Mr. Akella teaches aerospace engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Moona directs IIT Gandhinagar.

Young Medals And Ceremony

The young alumnus and alumna medals go to researchers under the age of 40, including Abhishek Sinha, Geethu Joseph, and Himanshu Joshi. Mr. Sinha is a researcher at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai. Ms. Joseph teaches at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Mr. Joshi works as an assistant professor at IIT Hyderabad. All the winners will receive their awards during a ceremony on December 19 at the J.N. Tata Auditorium on the IISc campus.

Context

Academic institutions frequently honour past students to highlight paths of high achievement for current scholars and researchers. The Indian Institute of Science is among the country's top centres for advanced scientific research and higher education. Such recognition helps build strong ties between alumni groups and their home institutions.