Snippets about
Prof. Somnath Dasgupta
Prof. Somnath Dasgupta graduated from the prestigious Jadavpur University, where he earned his BSc, MSc, and PhD in Geological Sciences.
B.Sc.- 1971- Jadavpur University (Geological Sciences)
M.Sc.-1974- Jadavpur University (Applied Geology)
Ph.D.- 1979- Jadavpur University (Ore Geology)
After receiving his Ph.D., he worked for the Geological Survey of India for a brief time before returning to his alma mater as a lecturer, where he would spend the next 26 years working on manganese mineralization, and high-grade metamorphic rocks from different parts of India.
1978-1981: Geologist, Geological Survey of India
1981-1986: Lecturer, Jadavpur University
1986-1990: Senior Lecturer, Jadavpur University
1990-1997: Reader, Jadavpur University
1997-2007: Professor, Jadavpur University
During this period, he established collaborations with varied labs around the globe and earned a number of post-doctoral positions, including the prestigious Alxendar Von Humboldt Post-Doctoral fellowship.
1984-1985: Post-Doctoral Fellow at Hokkaido University
1989: Visiting Scientist to the USSR
1991-1992, 1997: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation sponsored Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Bonn, Germany.
1996: Visiting Scientist at the University of Bonn, Germany
1998, 1998, 2006: Visiting Scientist at Hokkaido University, Japan
2001-2002: Visiting Scientist at University of Arizona, USA
2002-2003: Mercator Guest Professor at Rühr University, Bochum, Germany.
2006, 2008, 2011, 2017: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation sponsored Post-Doctoral Fellow at Ruhr University, Bochum
2007: Visiting Professor, Hokkaido University, Japan
2010: Visiting Scientist, LEMIT, LaPlata, Argentina
He was appointed as the founding Head of Department at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata in 2007, where he was instrumental in developing the course framework for a completely new course curriculum. In fact, he became the first Earth Science faculty member in the IISER system when he joined IISER Kolkata.
2007-2015: Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata
September 2011-January 2012: Director-in-charge, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Kolkata
April 2012-June 2012: Dean, Research & Development, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Kolkata
While being on deputation from IISER Kolkata he held key administrative positions in various institutes of national importance in India.
August 2010-July 2011: Director, National Centre of Experimental Mineralogy & Petrology, University of Allahabad
June 2012- November 2015: Vice-Chancellor, Assam University, Silchar
2014-2016: Distinguished Visiting Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
In his long career spanning almost four decades, he has contributed to the understanding of Metamorphic Petrology, Ore Geology, and Geochemistry. During this time, he has supervised 22 Ph.D. students and countless undergraduate students, and he continues to inspire future generations of geoscientists. More information about his research can be found at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ntsxukUAAAAJ&hl=en
In recognition to his contributions to the field of earth sciences, he has been bestowed with many national and international awards.
(National)
1996: Recipient of National Mineral Award from the Government of India.
2007-2017: J.C. Bose Fellowship from the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
2014: Teachers Award, Indian National Science Academy
2018: D. N. Wadia Medal, Indian National Science Academy.
(International)
1991-92, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2017: Recipient of Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
2002-2003: Awarded Mercator Guest Professorship by the German Research Foundation.
His involvement with geology has lasted so long that he has witnessed the shift from old-school field geology to cutting-edge laboratory-based studies. However, he happens to be an ardent lover of field geology. His passion for field study has led him to explore the rocks on nearly every continent.