Sukh Dev | |
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 Dev in 2003 | |
| Born | (1923-06-17)17 June 1923 |
| Died | 16 October 2024(2024-10-16) (aged 101) |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Research onterpenoids Contributions to the development ofguggulsterone |
| Awards | ICS Acharya P. C. Ray Award
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| Scientific career | |
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| Institutions |
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| Thesis | Studies in Sesquiterpenes (1950 (Ph.D.); 1960 (D.Sc.)[1][needs update]) |
| Doctoral advisor | Praphulla Chandra Guha John D. Roberts |
| Doctoral students | Jhillu Singh Yadav,Goverdhan Mehta |
Sukh DevFNA,FASc (17 June 1923 – 16 October 2024) was an Indian organic chemist, academic, researcher and writer, known for his contributions in the development ofguggulsterone, a plant-derived steroid used as a therapeutic and nutritional agent.[3] He conducted advanced research in biomedical science and natural products chemistry and held 55 patents for his findings.[4]
Dev was a recipient of several honours including theShanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, the highest Indian award in science and technology.[5] In 2008, the Government of India awarded him thePadma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour of India, for his contributions to science and technology.[6]
Sukh Dev was born on 17 June 1923[5] atChakwal, in thePunjab province ofBritish India to Hari Chand Lala and Maya Vanti.[1][7] He graduated with honours fromDayanand Anglo Vedic College, Lahore of thePunjab University in 1943 and secured his master's degree (MSc) from the same institution in 1945.[4] He then joined theIndian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc) as a research associate. Moving to India after thePartition, he studied under noted natural products chemist Praphulla Chandra Guha at the IISc, obtaining his PhD in 1948.[7] After taking his doctorate, he conducted post-doctoral research at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology withJohn D. Roberts.[7]
From 1951 to 1953, he was a senior research fellow at IISc. and continued there as a lecturer in organic chemistry from 1953 to 1959, with a brief stint as a research associate at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1957–58 underElias James Corey.[7] After securing the degree of DSc from IISC in 1960, he joined theNational Chemical Laboratory, Pune the same year as the Head (Assistant Director) of the Organic Chemistry (Natural Products) Division where he stayed till 1974, with a promotion to deputy director in 1968.[7] In 1974, he was appointed director of the Malti-Chem Research Centre inNandesari where he worked till 1988.[1][7] In 1989, he joined theIndian Institute of Technology, New Delhi as the INSA S. N. Bose Research Professor, shifting to the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Centre For Biomedical Research ofDelhi University in 1994 where he was a visiting professor.[4][7]
Dev died on 16 October 2024, at the age of 101.[8]
Sukh Dev conducted research onterpenoids and contributed to the structural elucidation of a number of them. It was during these investigations that he discovered new skeletal types in Sesqui- andditerpenoids.[5] Based on his research, he proposed two rules: the Absolute Stereochemistry Biogenetic Rule and that exotic biological materials tend to produce exotic secondary metabolites.[1] He focused a part of his research onlac,turpentine,Cedrus deodara (Devadaaru) and Indian medicinal plants such asGuggulu,Commiphora wightii, the last of which has resulted in the development ofGuggulsterone, a steroid claimed to havecholesterol-lowering and nutrient properties.[4] His research earned him 55 patents and the body of his work has been documented in over 290 scientific articles. He published 10 books, includingPrime Ayurvedic Plant Drugs, a 2006 publication which explores the ancient and modern traditions ofAyurveda.[9] He also mentored 92 research scholars,[10] which included many notable scientists.[11][12]
Sukh Dev received the Sudborough Medal of theIndian Institute of Science in 1949 when he was working at the institution as a research associate[4] but the first major award came his way in 1964 when theCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) awarded himShanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, the highest Indian honour in the science and technology categories.[5] In the 1970s, he received two awards; Acharya P. C. Ray Award ofIndian Chemical Society in 1970 and Vishwakarma Medal ofIndian National Science Academy in 1979.[13] TheAmerican Chemical Society awarded him the Ernest Guenther Award in 1980[14] and he was selected for the Distinguished Alumnus Award of theIndian Institute of Science,[15] theVASVIK Industrial Research Award,[16] and the FICCI Award of theFederation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry the same year. He received two awards from the Indian National Science Academy in the 1980s, Professor T. R. Seshadri Seventieth Birthday Commemoration Medal in 1981 and Meghnad Saha Medal in 1987.[13]
Sukh Dev, who held theINSA S. N. Bose Research Professorship of theIndian Institute of Technology, New Delhi from 1988 to 1993, received theTWAS Prize in 1988[17] and the Srinivasan Ramanujan Birth Centenary Award of theIndian Science Congress Association in 1992. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by two Indian chemical societies, theIndian Chemical Society in 1999 and theChemical Research Society of India in 2000.[4] The Government of India included him in theRepublic Day honours list in 2008 for the civilian award of thePadma Bhushan.In 2023, he was honoured by the board of the American Chemical Society for "60 Years of Service Excellence," and his 100th birthday was celebrated with afestschrift published inOrganic and Biomolecular Chemistry.[18]
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