Distinguished scientist KC Dash passes away

CHENNAI - Distinguished scientist and former head of the Department of Chemistry in the Bhubaneswar-based Utkal University, Prof Kailash Chandra Dash, has died in Chennai following cardiac arrest, according to family sources.

Dash was 67 and is survived by his wife, Pratibha and son, Debasish, who were at his bedside when the end came Saturday night.

Coming from an humble background, Dash had his early education in Orissa. During his distinguished career spanning nearly four decades, he had published nearly 160 research papers, many of these reviewed by international peers. He had guided nearly 20 scholars for the award of Ph.D.

Dash was awarded a number of fellowships by reputed universities and institutions, both at home and abroad, to carry out research in Chemistry.

In the early years of his research, Dash had focussed on organo-metallic chemistry of Gold and compounds of biological significance and received accolades from the international community for his research papers on ‘Gold Compounds as Metallo Drugs. However, in later years, he took active interest in Nuclear Chemistry.