Rajinder Kumar, born on 9 September 1934 in the Indian state of Punjab, graduated in science (BSc hons) from Punjab University, Chandigarh in 1954 and did his master's degree at Delhi Technological University (then known as Delhi Polytechnic) to receive his degree of MSc Tech from Punjab University in 1955.[10] He joined the Indian Institute of Science in 1958 as a junior research assistant and simultaneously did his doctoral studies under the guidance of E. Weingaertner and R. L. Datta but submitted his thesis at Punjab University to secure a PhD in 1965.[3] He served IISc in various capacities,[11] as a lecturer (1963–67), assistant professor (1967–70), professor (from 1970) and at the time of his superannuation in 1995, he was holding the position of Divisional Chairman and Dean. He was also a member of the Internal Review Committee of the IISc in 2014.[12] Post-retirement, he serves as an honorary professor at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.[3]
Legacy
Focusing his studies mainly on multiphase phenomena, Kumar is known to have done extensive researches on hydrodynamics and mass transfer in multiphase systems.[13] He developed a two-stage model of bubble formation from single submerged nozzles which clarified the discrepancies in experimental data and is in use with industrially–relevant distributors.[3] He developed a set of performance prediction protocols to be employed in foam bed contactors and batch sonochemical reactors. He also contributed to the development of a large scale fluidized bed reactor by which copper sulphate is manufactured directly from chalcopyrites.[13] His researches have been documented in several peer-reviewed articles;[note 2] the online article repository of Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 63 of them.[14] He sat in the Society and the Governing Body of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and has been associated with government departments and agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology, Indian Council of Medical Research, National Digital Research Centre and National Innovation Foundation as a member of their various committees.[3] He was a member of the Indian National Science Academy Council in 1990 and held the vice-president's chair during 1991–92.[3]
Kumar held the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Visiting Fellowship of INSA in 1995.[21] The Indian Academy of Sciences elected him as a fellow in 1979[4] and he became an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1985.[1] He is also an elected fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering.[5] The list of award orations delivered by him include Professor N.R. Dhar Memorial Lecture of the National Academy of Sciences, India.[22]
Selected bibliography
Basu, Suddhasatwa; Kumar, R.; Gandhi, K. S. (1997). "Detachment of a coalesced-phase blod from a circular obstacle in a Hele-Shaw cell". Chemical Engineering Science. 52 (16): 2849–2855. Bibcode:1997ChEnS..52.2849B. doi:10.1016/S0009-2509(97)00092-4.
Rajan, R.; Kumar, R.; Gandhi, K. S. (1998). "Modelling of sonochemical oxidation of the water-KI-CCl4 system". Chemical Engineering Science. 53 (2): 255–271. doi:10.1016/S0009-2509(97)00211-X.
Bandyopadhyaya, Rajdip; Kumar, R.; Gandhi, K. S. (2000). "Simulation of precipitation reactions in reverse micelles". Langmuir. 16 (18): 7139–7149. doi:10.1021/la000101a.
Bhattacharjee, Samita; Kumar, R.; Gandhi, K. S. (2001). "Modelling of protein mixture separation in a batch foam column". Chemical Engineering Science. 56 (19): 5499–5510. Bibcode:2001ChEnS..56.5499B. doi:10.1016/S0009-2509(01)00156-7.
^ ab"Padma Awards"(PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2016. Archived from the original(PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
^ ab"OPB Award". Om Prakash Bhasin Foundation. 2016. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
