GUWAHATI: Assam down town University (AdtU) recognised 80 faculty members, researchers and research scholars for their contributions to research and innovation at its Eminence in Research Awards and Research Reward Ceremony 2026 in Guwahati on Tuesday, September 22.
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The university distributed research rewards totalling ₹67.48 lakh across categories covering research publications, citations, patents, externally funded projects, books and book chapters, Q1 publications and doctoral research.
Dr Partha Pratim Dutta, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, received the highest individual research reward of ₹7,23,500. He was also named Best Researcher 2026 and received an additional ₹50,000 along with a memento and certificate.
The Best Innovator Award 2026, given for the highest number of granted patents, went to Dr Prasanta Pratim Bairagi, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Computer Technology.
Dr Prakash Kishore Hazam, Assistant Professor (Research Faculty) at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, received the Emerging Researcher Award in the male category and the Highest Research Grant Award for securing the highest value of externally funded research grants. Dr Dulumani Das, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Computer Technology, received the Emerging Researcher Award in the female category.
The High Impact Factor Publication Award in the male category was presented to Dr Himangshu Deka of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, while Dr Srijita Chakrabarti from the same faculty received the female category award for a publication with an impact factor of 10.4.
Other awards recognised achievements in scholarly publishing, citation impact and Q1 publications. Dr Rajib Mandal received the Excellence in Book Chapter Publication Award, while Dr Krishnakhi Choudhury and Dr Dipankar Saikia jointly received the Excellence in Book Publication Award.
Prof Dr Saikat Sen, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, received the Highest Citation Impact Award for recording the highest number of citations during the assessment period. The Highest Q1 Publication Award went to Dr Barenya Bikash Hazarika of the Faculty of Computer Technology.
The Best Research Scholar Award was presented to Pervej Alom Barbhuiya, Project Research Scientist-I at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, for his research work as a PhD scholar, including publications, presentations and patents.
Dr Shannon B. Olsson, Founder and Global Director of The Echo Network and faculty member at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), TIFR, delivered the inaugural lecture under the Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series and presented the research rewards.
Speaking at the event, AdtU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Narayan Chandra Talukdar said research formed an important part of the university’s academic environment and that the awards recognised the work of faculty members, researchers and scholars across different areas.
The awards covered multiple aspects of research performance, including publications, patents, research funding, citations, high-impact research and doctoral work, with recipients receiving mementos and certificates along with applicable monetary rewards.