Prof. MAMBILLIKALATHIL GOVIND KUMAR  MENON        

Born in Mangalore, Karnataka State, (India) on 28 th August 1928 . 
Field of Specialisation - PHYSICS. 
B.Sc ( Agra University - from Jaswant College, Jodhpur ) 
M.Sc. ( Bombay University - from Royal Institute of Science, Bombay ) 
Ph.D. ( 1953 ) University of Bristol, U.K.

HONORARY DEGREES D.Sc. (h.c.) : Jodhpur, Delhi, Sardar Patel (Vidyanagar), Allahabad, Roorkee, Banaras Hindu, Jadavpur, Sri Venkateswara (Tirupati) Andhra, Utkal, Aligarh Muslim, North Bengal, Guru Nanak Dev (Amritsar), Universities; Indian Institutes of Technology, Madras, Kharagpur and Bombay; University of Bristol (U.K.); Hon. Doctorate in Engineering of Stevens Institute of Technology, USA; LL.D (h.c.) IASE (Rajasthan) – Deemed University.

RESEARCH   ACHIEVEMENTS

1. Nuclear emulsion techniques, particularly leading to the use of large stripped emulsion stacks of volume upto 15 litres in 1954 (the largest at that time), and development of measurement techniques.

2. Elucidation of the properties of the strange particles; and being primarily responsible for establishing the K ?2, K µ3 , and K?3 decay modes of K-mesons.

3. Cosmic ray studies near the geomagnetic equator at high altitudes; and particularly the development of the technique of flying plastic balloons of volume several million cu. ft with level flights over 100,000 feet as a dependable facility for high altitude research in India.

4. Deep underground studies in India relating to muons, neutrinos, weak interactions and nucleon decay; this included establishing the feasibility of experiments on neutrino-induced interactions and related new phenomena at great depths underground; first observations and analysis of natural neutrino interactions in a Durham-Osaka-TIFR collaboration; observations of Kolar events; and the first major dedicated experiment in the world to look for nucleon decay with life times up to 10³⁰ years, with important observations on nucleon decay candidate events, limits on    magnetic monopoles etc.

IMPORTANT   POSITIONS  HELD

Member of Parliament (1990-96) - RAJYA SABHA

Minister of State (Government of India) , MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AS ALSO FOR EDUCATION    ( Dec. 1989  to  Nov. 1990 );

MEMBER, PLANNING COMMISSION  ( May 1982 – December 1989 )

SCIENTIFIC ADVISER TO PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA ( February 1986 – December 1989 )

Chairman, Science Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (1982 – 1985)

Chairman, Commission for Additional Sources of Energy (1981 – 82)

Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (1978 – 1982)

Secretary, Department of Environment (1980 – 1981)

Director General, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, CSIR  (1978 - 1981)

Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister, Secretary, Department of Defence Research, and Director General, Defence Research and Development Organisation  (1974 – 1978)

Chairman, Electronics Commission and Secretary, Department of Electronics (1971-1978)

Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (1972)

Director, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (1966 – 1975)

Faculty Member, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (1955- 1966)

Prof.   Sir C V Raman Professor of the Indian National Science Academy (1986 -1991)

MN Saha Distinguished    Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (India ) 1994 - 1999

Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor, ISRO (December 1999 – November 2004)

Chairman of Governing Board of Shriram Scientific & Industrial Research Foundation (Dec 29, 2000 –July 06, 2012) 

NATIONAL AWARDS BY THE HON'BLE PRESIDENT OF INDIA :-

  PADMA SHRI  (1961)  PADMA  BHUSHAN  ( 1968 )  PADMA  VIBUSHAN  ( 1985 )

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL HONOURS :

Senior Award of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (1953-55)

C.V. Raman Medal (1985) of the Indian National Science Academy

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for Physical Sciences of CSIR (1960)

Durga Prasad Khaitan Memorial Medal of Royal Asiatic Society for the year 1978

Cecil Powell Medal of European Physical Society (1978)

Kerala State Committee for Science & Technology Prize (1979)

Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Award for Science (1983) of Madhya Pradesh State Government

G.P. Chatterjee Award (1984) of Indian Science Congress Association

Fourth J.C. Bose Triennial Gold Medal of Bose Institute (1984)

Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Science and Technolgy (1985) – Electronics

First Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Gold Medal of Indian Science Congress Association (1988)

“Health for All” Medal of WHO given on its 40 th   Anniversary

Shiromani Award

Abdus Salam Medal (1997), Third World Academy of Sciences

Shatabdi Puraskar (1999), Indian Science Congress Association, for overall contributions to the development of Science.

MEMBERSHIP OF IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL BOARDS, COMMITTEES AND OTHER POLICY MAKING BODIES AND IN INDUSTRY. (PAST)

President, International Council of Scientific Unions    ICSU (1988-93)
Member (and its Chairman for two years) of U.N.    Secretary    General's Advisory Committee on Application of Science and Technology (1972-1980)

Member, Governing Council, U. N.    University, Tokyo (1986-91)

Member, Board of Governors of International Development Research Centre, Canada (1986-1990)

Member, First International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO

Chairman, Preparatory Committee for UN Conference on Science & Technology for Development (UNCSTD) (Vienna, 1979) and Chairman of Committee II of UNCSTD (1979)

Chairman Governing Council, Indian Institute of Astrophysics (Bangalore) (1971-1992)

Chairman, National Natural Resources Management System

Chairman, Bharat Electronics Limited (defence and strategic electronics)

Chairman, Research Council, National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS) of CSIR

Chairman, Bharat Dynamics Limited (missiles)

Member, Board of Directors, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (aeronautics)

Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (1997-2003)

Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad (1 st   April 1999 – October 2004)

Chairman (1-1-97 – 31-12-2000) and Member (1-1-2001 – 31-12-2004),    Board of United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, Tokyo

Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (2003 -2006)

President, India International Centre, New Delhi for two terms (1983-88) & (2007- 2011)

President, Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta (1990 - 2012)

Chairman, Raman Research Institute Trust, Bangalore (1972 -    2006)

Chancellor, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong (2008 - 2011)

SCIENTIST TRUSTEE, SHRI OM PRAKASH BHASIN FOUNDATION, NEW DELHI ( 1985 – 2011 )

PRESENTLY

ADVISOR     IN    THE     DEPARTMENT    OF    SPACE ( Indian Space Research Organisation – ISRO )    ……. since     Dec.    2004.      LIFE TRUSTEE     -      INDIA     INTERNATIONAL    CENTRE,     NEW    DELHI    110003

TRUSTEE   ( PRESENTLY    CHAIRMAN )   J N TATA ENDOWMENT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION OF INDIANS, BOMBAY, TRUSTEE, NEHRU TRUST FOR CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY, NEW DELHI,           HONORARY PROFESSOR, TATA      INSTITUTE     OF  FUNDAMENTAL     RESEARCH    ,    BOMBAY.    MEMBER,     BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF     ESCORTS    LIMITED