Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: In a moment of immense pride for Goa, and especially for the coastal village of Agonda in Canacona taluka, local son and accomplished scientist Prof. Rodney Fernandes has been promoted to the coveted Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. This prestigious promotion is a significant milestone in Prof. Fernandes’ career, marking him among India’s top academic minds and serving as a source of celebration for the Goan academic and scientific community.
Prof. Fernandes’ journey is one of dedication and excellence. He completed his schooling at St. Anne’s Institute in Agonda, his Higher Secondary (Science) from the Government Higher Secondary School in Canacona, and earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Goa University. He then completed his Ph.D. at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune. His postdoctoral research took him across the globe, with stints at Tohoku University in Japan, Freiburg University in Germany, and UNAM in Mexico City. Returning to India, he joined IIT Bombay as an Assistant Professor in 2007, rose to Associate Professor in 2011, and became a full Professor in 2015. Now, with his elevation to the HAG scale, Prof. Fernandes has firmly cemented his place among India’s most respected scientific leaders.
His career is decorated with numerous awards and honors, including the Bronze Medal by the Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) in 2023 for significant research contributions, the Research Dissemination Award (2022) from IIT Bombay for excellence in communicating scientific ideas, the Departmental Award for Excellence in Teaching (2019–2020) at IIT Bombay, and the Outstanding Reviewer Award (2019) by the Chemical Communications Journal. Earlier in his career, he received the INSA Young Scientist Medal and the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship in 2004, the International Patent Award – Silver Medallion in 2002 from the NCL Research Foundation, as well as the Keerthi Sangoram Endowment Award (2001) and Dr. Rajappa Award (2000) for outstanding research in organic chemistry. In 2017, he was also invited to deliver the prestigious 4th S. C. Bhattacharya Memorial Lecture.
Beyond his research, Prof. Fernandes has served in key academic leadership roles, including as Dean of Academic and Faculty Affairs at IIT Goa (2017–2018) and Acting Director of IIT Goa in 2018, reflecting the trust placed in him to guide and shape new academic institutions. He is a Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences (FMASc, 2015) and a Life Member of several prominent scientific bodies, including the Chemical Research Society of India, the Indian Society of Chemists and Biologists, and the Indian Association of Chemistry Teachers.
The news of Prof. Fernandes’ achievement was shared in detail by Dr. Mithil Phaldessai, Professor of Chemistry at Shri Mallikarjun & Chetan Manju Desai College, Canacona, who described it as a shining example of what dedication to science and education can accomplish and an inspiration for young Goans to strive for excellence.
