Prof. Jitendra Nath Goswami

Former director of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Professor J. N. Goswami is also referred to as the 'moon man of India'. He held different positions at PRL where he moved from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1973 and currently at PRL as a J C Bose Fellow. Prof. Goswami was the principal scientist of India's moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, and was involved in formulation of the Science goals of the Mars Orbiter Mission. He chaired the Science Advisory board that formulated the mission plan and the scientific payloads on board the upcoming Chandrayaan-2 mission.

His research covers planetary Sciences, origin and early evolution of the solar system, solar-stellar relationship, and Geo-chronology.

Prof. Goswami has spent several years at the University of California, Berkeley, and at San Diego, for post-doctoral research. Over the years he has visited Washington University, St. Louis, Vernadsky Institute, Moscow, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, and Max-Planck Institute, Mainz, for extended periods for conducting collaborative and independent research.

He has received various awards and honors that include INSA Young Scientist award, Young Associate of Indian Academy of Sciences, the NASA group achievement award and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in earth and planetary sciences. Prof. Goswami is currently a fellow of all the three science academies in India and also served as council member of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore and National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad. He is an elected fellow of several international forums that include Meteoritical Society, Geochemical Society of USA, European Association of Geochemistry, The World Academy of Sciences and International Astronautical Academy. He is an honorary fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, London and past President of the Astronomical Society of India. He was bestowed the "Axford Medal" of the Asia-Oceania Geosciences Society and a recipient of "ISRO outstanding Achievement Award". He has received the coveted civilian award "Padma Shri" from the President of India in 2017 for his contribution in the field of Science & Technology.