Prof S. K. Joshi (1935 - 2020), Eminent Physicist and Professor, IIT Roorkee (1967 - 1986)
Eminent Physicist and Professor, IIT Roorkee (1967 - 1986), Prof Sri Krishna Joshi passed away on May 15th 2020 at his residence in Gurugram, India. An Indian physicist, Prof. Joshi was Professor of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorke  e from 1967 to 1986. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Hema Joshi, his brother, Dr. Jagdish Chandra Joshi, son Sanjay, daughter-in-law, Mita and two grandchildren, Suchita and Parmarth. Prof. Joshi was born on 6th June 1935 in the village of Anpara in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India. His early life was difficult. His father passed away when he was 11 years old. However, he continued excelling in academics while shouldering the responsibility of supporting his family. A well renowned Physicist, Prof. Joshi served the nation both as an academician and as an institution builder. He was Professor of Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee from 1967 to 1986. In this role, he supervised the Ph.D. theses of twenty scholars and published more than 190 research papers. Many of his students have served as Professors of Physics across major research universities in India. He served as the fifth Director of the National Physical Laboratory from 1986 to 1991. While directing NPL, he continued his research and guided PhD students. In 1991, he was appointed the Director General of the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. After retiring in 1995, he was awarded the Sarabhai Research Professorship in Physics and worked on condensed matter theory at the National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi. As a science administrator, he also played a crucial role in establishing new institutes of higher learning – IISER, NISER, new IITs as well as research institutions, such as, ARIES Observatory, Indigo (India’s LIGO).. He also served the nation by working on various committees, such as, the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister of India and advising institutions, such as, DRDO, Department of Atomic Energy. Related to IIT Roorkee, he chaired the committee that recommended the conversion of University of Roorkee into an IIT. He also served as the first Chairman of the Board of Directors of IIT Roorkee. Prof Joshi’s work was bestowed with prestigious awards - Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Watumull Memorial Prize, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Physical Sciences, CSIR  Three generations of Prof Joshi's Family (Right to Left) Dr. J. C. Joshi, Prof S. K. Joshi's younger brother, who retired from IIT Delhi and lives in Gurgaon; Parmarth, grandson (Sanjay's son); Mita, daughter-in-law (Sanjay's wife), formerly Assistant Professor at Lucknow University; Suchita - granddaughter (Sanjay's daughter), currently, undergraduate student at U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Computer Science & Statistics); Son (Sanjay), himself a Roorkee alumni and currently employed at Google, Inc.; Jeetendra, nephew (Dr. J.C. Joshi's son); Prof. S.K. Joshi; Mrs. Hema Joshi, Prof. Joshi's wife Courtesy: Mr. Sanjay Joshi Prof Joshi's son, Sanjay, who himself is a Thomasonian, graciously shared, "When I look back at his life, it involved a lot of struggle and setbacks (including loosing my brother twenty years ago). However, I never ever heard him complaining. He always looked for other positive role models around him and for opportunities to improve himself and those around him. His hard work, dedication and helpfulness sets a good example for all of us." He was awarded as D.Sc. honoris causa from Kumaon University in 1994, from Kanpur University in 1995, Banaras Hindu University in 1996, and the University of Burdwan in 2005. Shri Krishna Joshi served science and he truly helped build the nation for all of us and the number of generations to come. Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan Shri Krishna Joshi stood for, served in his whole life and he truly builds the nation for all of us and number of generations to come. Important Professional Memberships/Positions Fellow, Indian National Science Academy(1974 -) Secretary, Indian National Science Academy (1983 - 1986) Foreign Secretary, Indian National Science Academy (1989 - 1992) President, Indian National Science Academy (Elected in1993 President, Indian Physics Association (1989 - 1990) Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (1967 - 1986) Director, National Physical Laboratory (1986 - 1991) Director General, Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (1991 - 1995) Sarabhai Research Professorship, National Physical Laboratory (1995 -) Awards / Honours Padma Shri (1991) Padma Bhushan (2003). Watumull Memorial Prize (1965) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Physical Sciences (1972) CSIR Silver Jubilee Award in (1973) Meghnad Saha Award for Research in Theoretical Sciences (1974) Dr. K.S. Krishnan Memorial Lectureship of INSA (1987) FICCI Award in Physical Sciences (1990) Dr. Mahendra Lal Sircar Prize by IACS Calcutta for 1989 (in 1994) Goyal Prize in Physics by Goyal Foundation (1993) CV Raman Medal of INSA (1999) Additional Information https://nabl-india.org/prof-s-k-joshi/ https://spsti.org/prof-s-k-joshi-journey-from-a-small-village-to-director-general-csir-new-delhi/ https://www.aries.res.in/images/Prof_S_K_Joshi_1935_2020.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shri_Krishna_Joshi https://wiki2.org/en/Shri_Krishna_Joshi |