The KONA Award 2020 was presented to Dr. Brij M. Moudgil, Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida, USA. Overall goal of his research program has been to develop science and technology platforms for the design and synthesis of nanostructured material with targeted performance and safety specifications. Specifically, controlling nano and atomic scale forces between particles, and synthesis of functionalized particles has formed the foundation for targeted advances in minerals, advanced materials, biomedical, microelectronics, health & hygiene, energy, agriculture, sensor, nanotoxicity and antimicrobial coating technologies.
He has served as Director of the Particle Engineering Research Center (PERC - formerly the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Particle Science & Technology) since its inception in 1994. He has also served as Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research Programs at UF from 2004 to 2012, with the primary responsibilities of promoting new interdisciplinary research teams, evaluating over 160 university centers and institutes, and serving as a liaison with several U.S. funding agencies. He has been invited as an evaluator of individual and team funded research proposals and interdisciplinary research centers, by funding agencies across the continents.
Dr. Moudgil has strongly supported and enthusiastically promoted particle technology related research and education opportunities, and challenges. He has invited world class research scholars to PERC from all over the globe and has mentored several visiting young scientists and post-doctoral students including several of them from Japan. He feels truly privileged to have had the opportunity to work with a talented group of students, research scientists & staff, visiting research scholars, faculty colleagues, domestic and international collaborators, and industry researchers. He is proud of his team members achievements – a number of whom continue to make pioneering research and leadership contributions in the private sector and in the academic institutions alike. Over the years, he has forged strategic alliances for research and education between UF-Particle Engineering Research Center and the other institutions that have common vision and complimentary expertise in particulate systems including University of Leeds, UK; Kyoto University, Japan; University of Melbourne, Australia; Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands; Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, India, and CMRDI, Cairo, Egypt.
He has been invited as a plenary and keynote speaker at conferences and seminars in Japan, Europe, India, South Korea, Egypt, South America and Australia. He has authored/co-authored 13 books and has been awarded 31 patents. He has served as 2006 President of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc. (SME). His contributions have been recognized with several honors and awards including the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award (NSF-PYI), APT Distinguished Paper Award, Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), Distinguished Alumnus Award of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc), and Member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), USA. Overall, Dr. Brij M. Moudgil has made pioneering contributions to particle and powder technology research and education and is most deserving of the prestigious KONA award.
Selected research achievements for the KONA Award 2020: Interfacial engineering of particulate system for enhanced performance.
