IISc Bengaluru names Mahan Mj for inaugural KRS Sastry Prize

Mahan Mj, a professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research’s School of Mathematics in Mumbai, has been selected as the first recipient of the KRS Sastry Prize, instituted by the Indian Institute of Science’s department of mathematics in Bengaluru.

The prize carries Rs 5 lakh and a citation. A six-member jury of international mathematicians chose Mahan for his contributions to geometry, groups, dynamics and probability.

IISc set up the award through the generosity of the late KR Shankaranarayana Sastry, described as a mathematics enthusiast and well-wisher of the institute. It is intended to recognise Indian mathematicians working in the country for long-term contributions to the subject and will be awarded once every four years.

Born in West Bengal in 1968, Mahan completed a master’s degree at IIT Kanpur in 1992 and a PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1997.