Yaxisdelhi at 23:10, 7 February 2026

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{{Short description|Indian photochemist, nanomaterial scientist and professor}}
{{Indian patronymic|Thomas|Kakkudiyil George}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = K. George Thomas
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Kerala]], India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| fields = {{ublist | [[Nanomaterials]] | [[Photochemistry]] }}
| workplaces = {{ublist | [[National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology]] | [[Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram]] | [[University of Notre Dame]] | [[Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research]] }}
| alma_mater = {{ublist |[[Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla]] | [[Savitribai Phule Pune University]] | [[University of Kerala]]| [[National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology]] }}
| doctoral_advisor = {{ublist| K. Saramma | [[Manapurathu Verghese George]] }}
| doctoral_students =
| known_for = Studies on photoresponsive [[nanomaterials]]
| awards = {{ublist | 2004 [[Chemical Research Society of India|CRSI]] Bronze Medal | 2005 MRSI Medal | 2006 [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize]] | 2015 MRSI-ICSC Super Conductivity and Materials Science Prize }}
}}

'''Kakkudiyil George Thomas''' is an Indian [[Photochemistry|photochemist]], [[Nanomaterials|nanomaterial]] scientist and a professor at the [[Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram]].<ref name="Faculty profile">{{Cite web |url=http://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculties/kgt/personal_information.phpx |title=Faculty profile |date=2016 |publisher=Indian Institute of Science Education and Research}}</ref> He is known for his studies on photoresponsive nanomaterials<ref name="Brief Profile of the Awardee">{{Cite web |url=http://ssbprize.gov.in/content/Detail.aspx?AID=92 |title=Brief Profile of the Awardee |date=2016 |publisher=Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize |access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref> and is an elected fellow of the [[Indian National Science Academy]]<ref name="Indian fellow">{{Cite web |url=http://insaindia.res.in/detail.php?id=P15-1701 |title=Indian fellow |date=2016 |publisher=Indian National Science Academy |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303122341/https://www.insaindia.res.in/detail.php?id=P15-1701 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]].<ref name="Fellow profile">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ias.ac.in/describe/fellow/George_Thomas,_Prof._Kakkudiyil |title=Fellow profile |date=2016 |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences |access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref> The [[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]], the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology]], one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2006, for his contributions to chemical sciences.<ref name="View Bhatnagar Awardees">{{cite web | url=http://ssbprize.gov.in/Content/AwardeeList.aspx | title=View Bhatnagar Awardees | publisher=Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize | date=2016 | access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref>

== Biography ==
[[File:Kerala University in 1940s.jpg|thumb|235px|left|University of Kerala]]
K. George Thomas, born in the south Indian state of [[Kerala]], did his early schooling at his home state before joining [[Savitribai Phule Pune University]] from where he completed his master's course (MSc) in chemistry in 1983.<ref name="Nanohub profile">{{Cite web |url=https://nanohub.org/members/29848 |title=Nanohub profile |date=2016 |publisher=Nanohub}}</ref> He returned to Kerala for his doctoral studies under the guidance of K. Saramma and secured a PhD from the [[University of Kerala]] in 1989. His post-doctoral studies were at the Photosciences and [[Photonics]] Group of the [[Manapurathu Verghese George]] at the [[National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology]] (NIIST) as a research associate. After completing his studies in 1994, he continued at NIIST to start his career as a scientist. Subsequently, he joined the [[Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram]] and serves the institution as a professor while continuing his researches at NIIST.<ref name="Faculty profile" /> He has also had various stints at the [[University of Notre Dame]] in 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2005 as a visiting faculty member and is an honorary faculty fellow at [[Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research]].<ref name="Honorary faculty">{{Cite web |url=http://www.jncasr.ac.in/main_page.php/Honorary-Faculty/27/1/21/ |title=Honorary faculty |date=2016 |publisher=Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
The research of Thomas has been focused on photoresponsive [[nanomaterials]] and his work is reported to have assisted in widening the understanding about their applications.<ref name="Handbook of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Winners">{{Cite web |url=http://www.csirhrdg.res.in/ssb.pdf |title=Handbook of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Winners |date=2016 |publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043957/http://www.csirhrdg.res.in/ssb.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He also worked on self-organization of molecules on surfaces and has developed methodologies for modulating molecular organization through the introduction of [[functional group]]s.<ref name="Research Areas">{{Cite web |url=http://www.iisertvm.ac.in/faculties/kgt/research_areas.phpx |title=Research Areas |date=2016 |publisher=Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram}}</ref> Thus, he developed a number of near-infrared absorbing [[Sensitisers|sensitizers]] which are relevant in [[biological imaging]] and [[Optical storage|optical data storage]] applications. He holds an international patent for one the processes he has developed viz. ''[[Squaraine dye|Squaraine]] based dyes and process for preparation thereof''.<ref name="Patents">{{Cite web |url=http://patents.justia.com/inventor/george-thomas-kakkudiyil |title=Patents |date=2016 |publisher=Justia Patents}}</ref> His research has been documented by way of chapters in three books authored/edited by others and several peer-reviewed articles;<ref name="On Ace Map">{{Cite web |url=http://acemap.sjtu.edu.cn/author/page?AuthorID=7F58469A |title=On Ace Map |date=2016 |publisher=Ace Map}}</ref> the online article repository of the Indian Academy of Sciences has listed 54 of them.<ref name="Browse by Fellow">{{Cite web |url=http://repository.ias.ac.in/view/fellows/Thomas=3AGeorge_Kakkudiyil=3A=3A.html |title=Browse by Fellow |date=2016 |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences}}</ref> He sits on the advisory board of the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences of the [[Department of Science and Technology (India)|Department of Science and Technology]]<ref name="Advisory board member">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cens.res.in/Home/Advisory-Board-Members?id=4 |title=Advisory board member |date=2016 |publisher=Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130190354/http://www.cens.res.in/Home/Advisory-Board-Members?id=4 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and is the vice-president of the Asian and Oceanian Photochemistry Association.<ref name="Executive members (2015-2016)">{{Cite web |url=http://asianphotochem.com/member/index.html |title=Executive members (2015-2016) |date=2016 |publisher=Asian and Oceanian Photochemistry Association}}</ref> He has also delivered several keynote addresses and plenary lectures including the Inter Academy Seoul Science Forum held in Seoul on 3 November 2016<ref name="Quantum Dots for Light Energy Harvesting and Conversion">{{Cite web |url=http://iassf.or.kr/html/sub_02_02.php |title=Quantum Dots for Light Energy Harvesting and Conversion |date=2016 |publisher=Inter Academy Seoul Science Forum |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130190206/http://iassf.or.kr/html/sub_02_02.php |archive-date=30 November 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Nano Biotek 2016 held at New Delhi on 24 November 2016.<ref name="Photo-responsive nanomaterials and Nanobiosensors: An Overview">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nanobioteck2016.com/program.html |title=Photo-responsive nanomaterials and Nanobiosensors: An Overview |date=2016 |publisher=Nano Biotek 2016 |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130191639/http://www.nanobioteck2016.com/program.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
Thomas received the Bronze Medal of the [[Chemical Research Society of India]] in 2004<ref name="CRSI Bronze Medal">{{Cite web |url=http://www.crsi.org.in/index.php/crsi-awards/year-1999-2008 |title=CRSI Bronze Medal |date=2016 |publisher=Chemical Research Society of India |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016123938/http://www.crsi.org.in/index.php/crsi-awards/year-1999-2008 |archive-date=16 October 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the MRSI Medal of the Material Research Society of India in 2005; MRSI would honor him again in 2015 with the MRSI-ICSC Super Conductivity and Materials Science Prize.<ref name="Awards and honors">{{Cite web |url=http://www.mrsi.org.in/awardshonours.php |title=Awards and honors |date=2016 |publisher=Material Research Society of India}}</ref> The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research awarded him the [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize]], one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2006.<ref name="Chemical Sciences">{{cite web|url=http://www.csir.res.in/External/Heads/career/award/BPRIZE/CHEMICAL_SCIENCES.htm |title=Chemical Sciences |publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research |date=2016 |access-date=7 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912012851/http://www.csir.res.in/external/heads/career/award/BPRIZE/CHEMICAL_SCIENCES.htm |archive-date=12 September 2012 }}</ref> He was elected as a fellow by the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]] in 2008<ref name="Fellow profile" /> and he became a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 2015.<ref name="Indian fellow" />

== See also ==
* [[Manapurathu Verghese George]]
{{portal|India|Chemistry}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.niist.res.in/english/laurels/dr-k-george-thomas-elected-fellow-of-indian-academy-of-science2008_6464.html |title=Dr. K. George Thomas, Elected Fellow of Indian Academy of Science |date=2016 |publisher=CSIR – National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology |access-date=30 November 2016 |archive-date=14 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214130925/http://www.niist.res.in/english/laurels/dr-k-george-thomas-elected-fellow-of-indian-academy-of-science2008_6464.html |url-status=dead }}
* {{Cite web |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US6417402 |title=Squaraine based dyes and process for preparation thereof |last=Suresh Das, George Thomas Kakkudiyil, Biju Vasudevan Pillai, Santosh Unni, Suresh Velate |date=2016 |publisher=Google Patents}}

{{SSBPST recipients in Chemical Science}}
{{Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Laureates of Kerala}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, K. George}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Chemical Science]]
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Scientists from Kerala]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian chemists]]
[[Category:Indian nanotechnologists]]
[[Category:Indian materials scientists]]
[[Category:Savitribai Phule Pune University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Kerala alumni]]
[[Category:University of Notre Dame faculty]]
[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy]]
[[Category:Living people]]

K. George Thomas - Revision history

Yaxisdelhi at 23:10, 7 February 2026