Prof. B.N. Jagatap

Prof. B.N. Jagatap is formerly Distinguished Scientist & Director, Chemistry Group of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai and Senior Professor at the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He is a well-known researcher and educationist with over 45 years of academic experience in institutes in India and abroad. 

Prof. Jagatap obtained his PhD from the University of Mumbai and did his postdoctoral research at the University of Western Ontario (UWO), Canada. He further worked as visiting scientist at the same university. He was senior visiting fellow at the Centre for Chemical Physics, UWO. He served the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for 39 long years, during which he was associated with the Indian Institute of Technology as Distinguished Visiting Professor before joining it as a full professor. His research areas include spectroscopy, laser physics, quantum optics, ultra-cold matter physics, accelerator based atomic & molecular physics and translating basic science research in technology development. 

Prof, Jagatap has been associated with a number of renowned institutions in India, which include, Chairman of the Governing Council of DST’s S.N. Bose National Centre of Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Kolkata, Chairman of the National Advisory Committee of Technical Research Centre of SNBNCBS, Chairman of the Research Council of the CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR), New Delhi, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the National Programme on Communicating Scientifically Validated Traditional Indian Knowledge to Society of CSIR-NIScPR,  and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the DST’s National Innovation Foundation, Gandhinagar. He was elected President of Physical Sciences Section of 99th Indian Science Congress, and President of Scientific Societies such as Indian Nuclear Society, Indian Society of Atomic & Molecular Physics, and Laser & Spectroscopy Society of India. 

Prof. Jagatap has been a part of several governmental bodies on education. These include Consultative committee for science, technology and innovation policy, Expert committee on perspective plans of non-agricultural universities of Maharashtra, Expert committee on perspective plan of technical education in Maharashtra, Expert committee on Skill Policy of Maharashtra, Chancellor’s nominee on the Management Council of the Mumbai University, and Chancellor’s nominee on the Executive Council of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University of Maharashtra. He has co-authored a book entitled ‘Reengineering Higher Education in Maharashtra’, published in 2019.

He is recipient of several awards and honours including, Homi Bhabha Award for Science & Technology, Prof. Rai Dastidar Award for Atomic & Molecular Physics, Platinum Jubilee Award of Indian Science Congress, H.H. Jagadguru Shankaracharya Award for National Eminence, ASG Jaykar Award of India Science Foundation, Muscat, Group Achievement Award of Department of Atomic Energy, and Lifetime Achievement Award of Luminescence Society of India. He was invited to deliver several prestigious lectures in the memory of greats such as Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Prof. Satyendra Nath Bose, Prof. Seaborg, Prof. P.C. Ray, Prof. D.C. Pawate and Prof. D.K. Rai. Prof. Jagatap was described as a Game Changer by newspaper Mint in its edition dated September 23, 2012.