NEW DELHI — Professor Suman Chakraborty, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, has been elected a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), according to a Ministry of Education release issued on Saturday, November 7. The fellowship will take effect on January 1, 2027.

Source: PIB / Ministry of Education via Daily GK Update

Chakraborty is one of eight scientists from India in the Academy's 2027 class. On November 5, TWAS elected 87 new Fellows as regular members and, for the first time, four Fellows as honorary members; they will be officially inducted on January 1, 2027, taking the Academy's total membership to 1,510, TWAS said in its announcement, reported by India Education Diary.

Source: TWAS via India Education Diary

87New TWAS Fellows elected for the 2027 class
8New Fellows from India
4Honorary members named for the first time
1,510Total TWAS membership after the new class is inducted
33%Women scientists in the new class

The four honorary members include two Indians — Yusuf Khwaja Hamied and Anita Gurumurthy — alongside Asad M. Madni and Aziza Rahman of the United States. Fifteen of the new Fellows come from countries TWAS identifies as science- and technology-lagging, and women account for 33 per cent of the new class, the Academy said.

Source: TWAS via India Education Diary

A career built on low-cost diagnostics

Chakraborty, a mechanical engineering professor who took charge as IIT Kharagpur's director in 2025 for a five-year term, is known for work on micro and nanoscale flows that has produced low-cost diagnostic technologies for conditions including anaemia, cancer, COVID-19 and tuberculosis, aimed at improving healthcare access for marginalised communities. He had earlier received the 2026 TWAS Award in Engineering and Computer Sciences, and his honours include the Infosys Prize 2022, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize and the National Award for Teachers 2023; he is a Sir J. C. Bose National Fellow, PTI reported at the time of his appointment.

Source: PTI via The Sen Times

TWAS, based in Trieste, Italy, is a merit-based academy that promotes scientific capacity and excellence in the developing world. Fellowship is a permanent membership, and the 2027 class will formally join the Academy on January 1, 2027.