Bengaluru, Dec 2 (PTI) The Infosys Prize 2021 was on Thursday awarded to outstanding contributions to science and research addressing some of the greatest challenges of our time, including designing a robust indigenous platform for rapid testing of deadly diseases like COVID-19, and studying the effects of climate change on fragile ecosystems. The Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) awarded the prize during a virtual ceremony in six fields - Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences. The award comprises a pure gold medal, a citation and a prize-purse of USD 100,000, ISF said in a statement. The Infosys Prize in Engineering and Computer Science field was awarded to Chandrasekhar Nair, CTO of Molbio Diagnostics in Bengaluru, for his development and large-scale deployment of TrueNat, a novel point-of-care testing platform for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based medical diagnostics. Nair’s work, invented and produced in India, has enabled rapid testing for millions of COVID-19 and TB cases in India and other resource-limited countries around the world, according to ISF. PCR based testing enables direct testing of genes from patient samples. While it has become the gold standard for testing many infectious diseases, the high cost and complexity of testing platforms restricted its use to sophisticated labs. Nair has created a battery-operated, rugged, field usable PCR device that requires minimal training and can be deployed at scale in resource-limited settings, ISF said. Angela Barreto Xavier from the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal, was awarded the prize in Humanities category for her deeply researched and sophisticated analysis of conversion and violence in the Portuguese empire in India, especially Goa. The prize in Life Sciences field was awarded to Professor Mahesh Sankaran from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bengaluru, in recognition of his pioneering work on the ecology of tropical savannah ecosystems, and his contributions to highlighting the biodiversity of important Indian ecosystems such as the Western Ghats. Sankaran"s work and his involvement in international reports on climate change and biodiversity have informed and shaped rational conservation policy, according to ISF. In Mathematical Sciences category, the award was given to Neeraj Kayal of Microsoft Research lab, Bengaluru, for his outstanding contributions to Computational Complexity. His extensive, innovative work on algebraic computation includes the development of techniques proving limitations of this natural model, as well as designing efficient algorithms for reconstruction and equivalence of such algebraic circuits. Pratiksha Baxi from the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, was awarded the prize in the Social Sciences category for her pioneering work on sexual violence and jurisprudence. Baxi"s extraordinary ethnographic research and meticulous analysis reveal how gendered violence is reproduced by juridical practice. The prize in Physical Sciences field was awarded to Professor Bedangadas Mohanty from the National Institute of Science Education and Research in Bhubaneswar, for investigations of the nuclear force. At the Brookhaven National Laboratory, US, and the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland, Mohanty determined the transition temperature of the quark-gluon plasma to hadronic matter, observed heavy antimatter nuclei, nuclear spin-orbital angular momentum interactions, and other effects in quark-gluon plasma. Winners were felicitated by Gagandeep Kang, a professor at the Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore. "For any nation and society, world-leading science is a matter of prestige and a contribution to excellence in the country and the world," Kang, one of India"s leading virologists, said. "Recognition of exploration, innovation, and response to scientific and societal challenges is the goal of the Infosys Prize. Awards such as these create role models of science and scholarship that future generations can emulate," she added. The laureates were chosen from a pool of 201 nominations by an accomplished jury of scholars and professors from some of the most prestigious universities across the world. The Infosys Prize, the highest prize for science and research in India recognises and felicitates exceptional talent for contributions in science, research, and technology, ISF said. "The Infosys Science Foundation has recognised excellence for the last 13 years. By recognising and celebrating the creativity and innovation of these remarkable individuals, we hope to inspire and encourage others and society at large,” said Kris Gopalakrishnan, President - ISF. "While results may not always be immediately apparent, we must remember that the long arc of knowledge, discovery, and invention will benefit mankind in unexpected ways as we have seen with mRNA vaccines during this COVID crisis," Gopalakrishnan added. PTI SAR SAR