Dr Prakash Patnaik, an alumni of IIT Kharagpur, has been conferred with the prestigious NATO Science & Technology Organisation (STO)’s Panel Excellence Award, reports India Today.

Patnaik is a scientist working in the field of Aerospace Materials Science and Engineering. In a career spanning over 30 years, his contributions include global collaborations with governments, industries and academic organisations.

He has been awarded in recognition of his longstanding service and extraordinary scientific contribution rendered to NATO-STO’s Applied Vehicle Technology Panel.

Hailing from Berhampur, Odisha, Patnaik graduated in BE in Materials Science & Engineering from NIT Rourkela and did his MTech from the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at IIT Kharagpur in 1978. He obtained his PhD from McMaster University, Canada.

Dr Patnaik now leads the Defence Technology and Sustainment Program at the National Research Council Canada (NRCC) as Principal Research Scientist at NRC’s Aerospace Research Centre in Ottawa, Canada.

He joined the council in 2002 as Chief of Aerospace Materials and became Director of R&D at NRC in 2006.

Dr Patnaik, as per India Today has made significant contributions in the domain of Aerospace Materials and Protective Coating Technologies.

Moreover, the chairman of the Applied Vehicle Technology Panel of the NATO-STO, cited the expertise of Dr Patnaik in the field of high-temperature metal alloys and coatings used in gas turbine engines which has strengthened the core of Applied Vehicle Technology business of NATO-STO.