India’s area science neighborhood is celebrating a giant occasion as Professor Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, has been awarded the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal for 2026. It’s among the many most prestigious worldwide honours recognising excellent contributions to area analysis in creating nations. Additionally, she grew to become the primary Indian lady to win this award through the forty sixth COSPAR Scientific Meeting in Florence, Italy, in August 2026.A big honourIt’s a very vital honour for India as a result of Subramaniam is the primary Indian lady to obtain the medal and solely the fourth Indian total. Earlier than her, the Indian recipients had been
- U.R. Rao in 1996: Former ISRO chairman
- Gurbax Singh Lakhina in 2014: Area physicist
- Anil Bhardwaj in 2024: Bodily Analysis Laboratory director
About COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai MedalThe COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal was established in 1958 to advertise worldwide scientific cooperation in area analysis. It’s collectively awarded by the Committee on Area Analysis (COSPAR) and the Indian Area Analysis Organisation (ISRO) in honour of Vikram Sarabhai. He was one of many architects of India’s area programme. The award recognises excellent contributions to area analysis in creating nations and is awarded each two years. Candidates could be from any nation with the related work assessed primarily over the five-year interval previous the award cycle.Who’s Annapurni SubramaniamSubramaniam’s scientific profession spans greater than three a long time. In accordance with IIA, she has revealed round 175 analysis papers, guided 15 PhD college students and labored throughout areas together with star clusters, stellar populations, galaxies and ultraviolet astronomy together with the Magellanic Clouds.
Annapurni Subramaniam with Indian President Droupadi Murmu (PC: X)
She additionally grew to become the primary lady to move the Indian Institute of Astrophysics as its Director in 2019. One among her most essential contributions has been her work with AstroSat, India’s first devoted multi-wavelength area observatory. Subramaniam served because the calibration scientist for AstroSat’s Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT). She led its in-orbit calibration and efficiency verification.The telescope has enabled astronomers to check celestial objects in ultraviolet wavelengths which are tough or unattainable to watch from the bottom due to the Earth’s environment.Constructing future telescopesSubramaniam is the Principal Investigator of INSIST, a proposed next-generation ultraviolet-optical area telescope that builds on expertise gained from AstroSat and UVIT. She has additionally contributed to India’s participation within the worldwide Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) undertaking.The winner of Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar
Receiving the award (Indian Institute of Astrophysics, FB)
Along with this, in 2024, the Authorities of India honoured her with the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar – Vigyan Shri in Area Science and Expertise. The official quotation highlighted her pioneering work on single and binary stars, blue stragglers, star clusters, star formation, galactic construction and the Magellanic Clouds, in addition to her contribution to the UV imaging telescope and AstroSat mission.With Annapurni Subramaniam changing into the fourth Indian and first Indian lady recipient, the 2026 medal marks each a private scientific achievement and a milestone for Indian area astronomy.
