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| Raghunath Mashelkar | |
|---|---|
| Name | Raghunath Mashelkar |
| Birth date | 1 January 1943 |
| Birth place | Mashel, Goa |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Fields | Chemical engineering, Polymer science, Intellectual property |
| Alma mater | University of Bombay, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, University of Salford |
| Known for | Leadership of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, advocacy on intellectual property reform, research on polymers and rheology |
| Awards | Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan |
Raghunath Mashelkar is an Indian chemical engineer and research administrator noted for contributions to polymer science, technology policy, and intellectual property reform. He led major scientific institutions, steered science–industry linkages, and championed access-oriented innovation, earning national and international honors. His career spans laboratory research, institutional transformation, policy advocacy, and public service in post-independence India and global forums.
Born in Mashel village in Goa during the period of Portuguese India, he completed early schooling in local institutions before moving to Bombay for higher education. He obtained a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Bombay and pursued doctoral studies in polymer science at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, followed by postdoctoral work at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom. His formative years coincided with the postcolonial expansion of institutions such as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Indian Institutes of Technology, shaping his orientation toward institutional science.
Mashelkar’s early research focused on polymer rheology, nonlinear viscoelasticity, and transport phenomena, producing experimental and theoretical work relevant to the polymer industry. He published on topics intersecting with research at National Chemical Laboratory, Polymer Science Group, and laboratories associated with Indian Institute of Science and CSIR networks. His studies on non-Newtonian fluids and constitutive modeling connected to applications in processing at firms such as Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and influenced standards used by Bureau of Indian Standards. Collaborations and citations bridged to international centers including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, Max Planck Society, and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
His laboratory advances leveraged approaches common in work at Shell Research, DuPont, and research reported in journals associated with the Royal Society and American Chemical Society. Beyond fundamental polymer mechanics, he explored technology development pathways similar to projects at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research spin-offs and interventions in industrial R&D that echoed practices at Siemens and General Electric research centers.
He served as Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research where he initiated reforms to improve translational research, technology transfer, and intellectual property management across CSIR laboratories. Under his leadership, CSIR adopted performance metrics aligned with practices seen at National Institutes of Health, CNRS, and Fraunhofer Society, while fostering partnerships with Tata Group companies and public sector units. He also held the position of President at the Indian National Science Academy and contributed to governance debates in bodies like the Department of Science and Technology (India). His reform agenda emphasized patents, industry-funded research, and entrepreneurship in the mold of Stanford University–industry linkages and Cambridge Science Park models.
His awards include national civilian honors: Padma Shri (1985), Padma Bhushan (1991), and Padma Vibhushan (2000). Internationally, he has been elected to fellowships and academies such as the Royal Society of Chemistry, Royal Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences (U.S.), and the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He has received honorary doctorates from institutions like University of Cambridge, Carnegie Mellon University, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, and prizes analogous to recognitions from UNESCO and World Intellectual Property Organization forums.
Mashelkar became prominent in debates on patent policy, traditional knowledge, and access to technologies, participating in international negotiations at forums including the World Trade Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. He advocated differentiated approaches to patentability and compulsory licensing in public health contexts as debated during high-profile cases involving multinational pharmaceutical firms and generic manufacturers such as Ranbaxy and Cipla. He chaired expert committees advising the Government of India on intellectual property rights, contributing to policy instruments that balanced incentives for multinational corporations with public interest imperatives championed by civil society groups and academic networks.
Beyond CSIR, he served on advisory panels to ministries, participated in commissions addressing science policy and industrial competitiveness, and advised state governments and public sector undertakings. His roles connected him to policy ecosystems involving NITI Aayog, the Planning Commission of India, and regulatory authorities like the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India. He represented India in international science diplomacy settings, partnering with delegations to European Commission research initiatives, bilateral science pacts with Japan and United States, and multilateral projects with organizations such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Mashelkar’s personal narrative links to communities in Goa and professional networks in Mumbai and New Delhi. He has mentored generations of scientists who took leadership in academia, industry, and government laboratories including alumni in IITs, CSIR labs, and corporate R&D units. His legacy encompasses institutional modernization, promotion of intellectual property literacy in India, and an emphasis on inclusive innovation reflected in initiatives promoted at think tanks and universities. He is widely cited in policy studies, biographies, and histories of post-independence Indian science and remains a reference point in debates on research management and technology policy.
Category:Indian chemical engineers Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan