Bhubaneswar: Eminent physicist from Odisha Ajit Kumar Mohanty has been appointed as the Secretary of Department of Atomic Energy and Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, an official notification stated Sunday.
The Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet has approved his appointment.
The official notification further informed that Mohanty will hold the post until the age of 66 years or till October 10, 2025, whichever comes earlier, until further orders.
It can be mentioned here that Mohanty was previously appointed as the 13th Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) March 12, 2019.
Mohanty was born in Odisha in 1959. He graduated with physics as honours from MPC Autonomous College in Baripada in 1979. He obtained his post-graduate degree from Ravenshaw College in Cuttack in 1981.
After completing the 26th batch of the BARC Training School In 1983, he joined the BARC Nuclear Physics Division. He earned his doctorate from Mumbai University.
Mohanty is well-known for his remarkable contributions to the field of nuclear physics and held many honourary positions. He served as General Secretary and later President of the Indian Physics Association (IPA). He held the position of Scientific Associate in CERN — a European organisation for nuclear research — twice, first from 2002 to 2004 and then from 2010 to 2011.
PNN