Bhubaneswar: Noted scientist Himansu Sekhar Biswal, a professor at the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, has been elected a Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI).
Considered one of the top scientific honours, the NASI Fellowship and is awarded to researchers for significant contributions to science and technology. Biswal’s fellowship will take effect from January 2027.
The honour comes as NISER marks its 20th foundation anniversary. In 1992, Anadi Charan Dash of Utkal University was elected a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences.
Biswal, a professor at the School of Chemical Sciences at the NISER, Bhubaneswar, has won the fellowship in recognition of his significant contributions to chemical sciences, His research was carried out entirely in Odisha.
The NASI Fellowship is conferred on scientists for outstanding contributions to science and technology. Biswal’s election is particularly significant as he becomes one of the researchers associated with Odisha to be elected to one of India’s national science academies for work undertaken in the state.
Born into a farming family in Rampa village of Bari in Jajpur district, Biswal completed his education in Odisha before pursuing advanced training at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, CEA-Saclay in France and the University of Michigan in the United States.
Following his return to Odisha, Biswal built his research career at NISER. His work has focused on hydrogen bonding and non-covalent interactions at the molecular level — areas that have wider implications for molecular biology, materials science and drug design.
Biswal has contributed to strengthening scientific infrastructure at NISER. He has developed specialised laboratory instruments and established a laser spectroscopy facility at the institute, supporting advanced research in chemical sciences.
He was earlier named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and was selected as a DST-INSPIRE Faculty Fellow. He also received the Chemical Research Society of India’s 2026 Bronze Medal.
His election as a NASI Fellow is being seen as a recognition of his contributions of the growing research ecosystem in Odisha.
