Chairman, Board of Governors – Shri A. S. Kiran Kumar

Shri A. S. Kiran Kumar is the Chairman of the Physical Research Laboratory Management Council and a Member of the Space Commission, Government of India.

He served as Secretary, Department of Space, and Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), during 2015–2018.

Born on October 22, 1952, in Hassan, Karnataka, Shri Kiran Kumar holds an M.Sc. degree in Physics (Electronics) from Bangalore University and an M.Tech. degree in Physical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

He has steered the implementation of the applications-oriented Indian Space Programme, which has facilitated rapid development of the country in several important spheres, including earth observation, communication, navigation, meteorology, and space science, as well as the development of indigenous launch vehicles and related technologies to ensure assured access to space. He has led the design and development of more than 50 electro-optical imaging sensors flown on various spaceborne platforms, starting from Bhaskara in 1979. His role in the success of the Chandrayaan-1 mission and the Mars Orbiter Mission has also been significant.

Shri Kiran Kumar chaired the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) in 2012. He has made valuable contributions to the Coordination Group of Meteorological Satellites (CGMS), the Expert Team on Satellite Systems of the World Meteorological Organisation (ETSAT of WMO), and the Indo–US Joint Working Group on Civil Space Cooperation.

He has also served as President of the Aeronautical Society of India. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences India, the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, the Institution of Electronics & Telecommunications Engineers, the Indian Society of Systems for Science & Engineering, the Indian Meteorological Society, the Indian Society of Geomatics, the Gujarat Science Academy, and the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences. He is also an elected member of the International Academy of Astronautics. In addition, he has been conferred with Honoris Causa doctorates (D.Sc.) by 18 Indian academic institutions.

He has co-authored 85 publications in various national and international scientific journals, conferences, and symposiums.

In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the President of India in 2014. Other notable honours conferred on him include the Rajyotsava Award (2015), the Sir M. Visvesvaraya Senior Scientist State Award (2013) by the Government of Karnataka, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy (2016), the IISc Distinguished Alumnus Award (2015), the Gujarat Ratna Life for Innovation Award by the Gujarat Innovation Society (2014), the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences (2016), the Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya Centenary Award by the University of Mysore (2016), the G. M. Modi Science Award (2016), the H. K. Firodia Vijnan Ratna Award (2017), the Santokbaa Award instituted by SRKKF Surat (2018), and the ISRO Lifetime Achievement Award (2018). He was also honoured with the prestigious International von Karman Wings Award in 2018, instituted by the Aerospace Historical Society together with the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories at the California Institute of Technology, and with the Chevalier de l'Ordre national de la Légion d'Honneur — the highest civilian honour of the Government of France — in 2019.