Mysuru: Dr. Pushpa S. Murthy, Senior Principal Scientist & Head, Plantation Products, Spices and Flavour Technology (PPSFT) Department at the Mysuru-based CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI), has been conferred with the coveted ‘Dr. Kalpana Chawla Young Women Scientist  State Award-2022’ instituted by the Government of Karnataka.

This award is in recognition of  her outstanding contribution to Science and Technology.

To encourage women Scientists / Engineers in the State, the Government of Karnataka instituted the award in the name of late Dr. Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-born American astronaut and aerospace engineer, in 2003.

The award  including a cash prize of Rs.1,00,000, memento and citation was presented to Dr. Pushpa by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the presence of  Minister for  Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology N.S. Boseraju and other dignitaries. 

Bharat Ratna Prof. C.N.R. Rao, Linus Pauling Research Professor, Honorary President, JNCASR, was the chief guest at the award presentation function held  at J.N. Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science campus, Bengaluru, recently.

Prof. Govindan Rangarajan, Director, Indian Institute of Science and A.S. Kiran Kumar, Chairman, Awards Selection Committee and former ISRO Chairman were guests of  honour.

Dr. Pushpa holds Ph.D in Biotechnology from the University of Mysore. She has over twenty five years of experience with combination of applied and basic science in the areas of Food and Applied Biotechnology.

A Fellow of UNU-Kirin, United Nations University, Japan in 2014, Fellow of Society of Applied Biotechnology, Fellow of Bose Science Society, she has guided more than 70 students for Post-Graduate research investigation/ dissertation and Ph.D.

Dr. Pushpa has developed eight technology/processes, transferred to more than 25 industries, and has three patents to her credit. Throughout her illustrious career, her visionary work in coffee and valorisation of their by-products, value addition to coffee, innovative coffee products, sustainable coffee process has earned them international acclaim and forefront of coffee research.

She has been awarded more than  6 Grant-in-Aid Projects from Department of Science and Engineering Research Board, Ministry of Food Processing, Government of India.