Four more researchers of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) have found a place in Stanford University’s prestigious world ranking of two per cent scientists which was drawn up on the basis of a subject-wise analysis. The four researchers, Prof Goutam Rath, Dr Manoj Kumar Nayak, Dr Satyaranjan Mishra and Dr Debabrata Pradhan, were felicitated by the university on December 26 for their work.
Earlier, seven eminent SOA researchers, Prof (Dr) Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, Prof (Dr) Pradipta Kishore Dash, Prof Kulamani Parida, Prof Lala Behari Sukla, Prof RNP Choudhary, Prof JC Misra and Dr Nihar Bala Devi had been named in the list prepared by the US-based university. With this, a total of 11 researchers from SOA, ranked 20th among universities in the country by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2020, have been mentioned in the Stanford list.
The subject-wise analysis was conducted by involving one lakh top scientists of the world on the basis of standardised citation indicators such as information on citations, H-index, co-authorship and a composite indicator. The database was published recently.
Prof Rath is presently working as Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, SOA’s faculty of pharmaceutical sciences while Dr Nayak is a lecturer at the Institute of Higher Secondary Education (IHSE), a Plus Two science college run by SOA. Dr Mishra and Dr Pradhan are faculty members at the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), SOA’s faculty of engineering and technology.
SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof Mahapatra felicitated the scientists in the presence of the university’s Registrar Prof BB Pradhan and Dean (Research) Prof PK Nanda. A highly research-focused university with around 50 per cent of its Research and Development Centres aligned to national priorities, SOA has 13 research centres and 42 research labs. Investigators are provided extensive facilities to conduct research in the university.
Of the four researchers who were felicitated, Prof Rath is a leading scientist in the field of cutting age platform technology (nanotechnology) for site-specific targeted delivery of drugs and bio-actives who has over 150 scientific papers published in recognised journals and has authored four textbooks. He is presently conducting research on the use of immunomodulators with lipid/polymer/polysaccharides for non-invasive dry powder inhalers for site-specific targeted delivery of drugs and vaccines.
Dr Nayak, who pursued his MSc from NIT, Rourkela in 1995 and PhD from Utkal University in 2015, is engaged in research and higher studies in the field of nano-fluids. He has been teaching Physics for 22 years and has 83 research papers to his credit. Several research scholars are currently working under him.
Dr Mishra is an Associate Professor in Mathematics at ITER who is a product of SOA having done his MTech and PhD from the university. He has guided ten PhD students and has 125 published research papers to his credit while Dr Pradhan is presently working as an Assistant Professor in SOA’s Bio-fuels and Bio-processing Research Centre. Dr Pradhan’s research area includes algal technology, biochar and biofuels, waste water treatment, biomineral processing, solid waste management and biomaterials.