Bhubaneswar: Adding another national recognition to Odisha’s scientific achievements, NISER professor Himansu Sekhar Biswal has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), one of the country’s premier scientific honours. His fellowship will take effect from January 2027.
Biswal, a professor at the School of Chemical Sciences at the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, has been recognised for his significant contributions to chemical sciences, with his research 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.
The recognition comes as NISER marks its 20th foundation anniversary. Odisha has a history of scientists earning membership of premier national science academies. In 1992, Anadi Charan Dash of Utkal University was elected a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences.
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.
He later returned to Odisha and 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.
Beyond his research, 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.
His latest recognition adds to a series of honours. Biswal has previously been 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 not only of his scientific contributions but also of the growing research ecosystem in Odisha, where he has pursued his work and built advanced research facilities.
