New Delhi: Odisha-born scientist, Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Tuesday took over as the director of Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) from KN Vyas Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary to the Union Department of Atomic Energy.
According to Ministry of Science of Technology, Mohanty, born in 1959 in Odisha, is a well-known nuclear physicist. He completed his Bachelor’s degree with Physics (Honours) from MPC College, Baripada in 1979 and Master’s degree in Physics from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack in 1981. After completion of the training in the 26th Batch of the BARC Training School in 1983, he joined the Nuclear Physics Division of BARC and later on obtained his Ph.D degree from Bombay University.
During the past 36 years, Dr Mohanty has worked in several areas of nuclear physics covering collision energy from sub-Coulomb barrier to relativistic regime.
Mohanty is the recipient of Young Scientists Award of Indian Physical Society (1988), Young Physicist Award by Indian National Science Academy (1991) and Department of Atomic Energy Homi Bhabha Science & Technology Award (2001).