MGK Menon, PhD
Editor, Traditional Knowledge Systems

Brief Bio-Data

Professor M.G.K. Menon is presently the Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor of the Indian Space Research Organization. Formerly Chairman, Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He is Chairman, Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad; President of Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta; Chairman Raman Research Institute Trust, Bangalore; and Member of the Council of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay.

Prof. Menon born in 1928, took his Ph.D. from the University of Bristol, UK in 1953. He has a large number of Honorary doctorates from universities in India and abroad.

Prof. Menon is a Fellow of all the three Science Academies in India; and has been President of each one of them. He was President of the Indian Science Congress Association (1981-82). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, London; (1970) Honorary Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Honorary Member of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world’s largest professional Engineering Society; Member of the Pontificlal Academy of Sciences, Rome; Honorary Fellow of The Institute of Physics UK (1997); a Founding Fellow (and initially Vice President) of the Third World Academy of Sciences. He was President of the International Council of Scientific Unions (1988-93).

Prof. Menon has been a recipient of many awards, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for Physical Sciences (1960) of CSIR; CV Raman Medal of the Indian National Science Academy (1985); the first Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Gold Medal (1988) of Indian Science Congress Association; “Health for All” Medal of WHO; Abdus Salam Medal of Third World Academy of Sciences (1997); Blackett Memorial Lecture (Royal Society, London 1987). "Shatabdi Puraskar" of the Indian Science Congress Association, (1999) for Overall Contribution to the Development of Science.

Research Achievements :

1.       Nuclear emulsion techniques, particularly leading to the use of large stripped emulsion stacks of volume upto 15 litres in 1954, and development of  precision measurement techniques.

2.       Elucidation of the properties of the strange particles; and being significantly responsible for establishing the K_π2,  K_μ3, and  K_μ2     decay modes of K-mesons.

3.      Cosmic ray studies near the geomagnetic equator at high altitudes; and particularly the development of the technique of flying plastic balloons of volume several million cu. ft with level flights over 100,000 feet as a dependable facility for high altitude research in India. (cosmic rays, x-ray & gamma ray astronomy etc)

4.      Deep underground studies in India relating to muons, neutrinos, weak interactions and nucleon decay; this included establishing the feasibility of experiments on neutrino-induced interactions and related new phenomena at great depths underground; first observations and analysis of natural neutrino interactions and observations of Kolar events; and the first major dedicated experiment in the world to look for nucleon decay with life times greater than 10³⁰ years, with important observations on nucleon decay candidate events, limits on  magnetic monopoles etc.

Prof. Menon has been Director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay; (1966-1975) Chairman Indian Space Research Organisation; Chairman, Commission for Additional Sources of Energy; Secretary to the Government of India for 12 years (Electronics, Science & Technology, Defence Research, Environment) (1971-1982); Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research and of Defence Research and Development Organisation. He was until recently MN Saha Distinguished Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India

For 8 years (1982-1989) he was Member of the Planning Commission with the rank of Minister of State. He has been Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and Chairman of the Science Advisory Committee to the Cabinet. He was Minister for Science & Technology in the Government of India and Vice President, Council of Scientific & Industrial  Research (CSIR). He was a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) during 1990-96.

Prof. Menon has received from the President of India: Padma Shri in 1961; Padma Bhushan in 1968; and Padma Vibhushan in 1985.

Prof. Menon has been Chairman of Bharat Electronics Limited; Chairman, Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (Missiles); Member (8 years) and Chairman (2 years) of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Committee on Application of Science and Technology; Member, Board of Governors of the International Development Research Centre, Canada; Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on Science & Technology for Development (Vienna, 1979); Member, Governing Council, UN University, Tokyo. He was Co Chairman of the National Task Force on Information Technology and Software Development of the Government of India (1998-99).

He is presently a Member of the Board of Directors of Escorts Limited and Indfos Industries Limited; and Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; and was Chairman and is now a Member of the Board of the Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU) Tokyo.