Three Kashmir Scholars Awarded PM Research Fellowship

by Syed Ahmad Rufai

SRINAGAR: Three Kashmiri scholars pursuing their Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) from Jamia Millia Islamia’s (JMI) Physics department have been awarded the Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF) for the year 2022.

The scholars, Sakeena Masrat, Mudasir Younis Sofi, and Shah Masheerul Alam, were felicitated with the fellowship by the Union Education Minister Dr Subhas Sarkar and Vice-Chancellor JMI Najma Akhter.

Shah Masheerul Alam, 28, while talking to Kashmir Life said that the fellowship is awarded to scholars with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 8.5 or above during their coursework in the initial six months of the PhD programme.

The fellowship introduced in 2018 is mostly awarded in the field of Science and Technology to scholars of IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology), IISERs (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research), top ten central universities and an NIT. The fellowship was awarded by a selection process conducted through a detailed review by IIT Madras. The awarded fellowship will span over a period of five years for the scholars, with Rs 10 lakh as a research grant (Rs 2 lakh/annum).

According to the fellowship scheme, for the first two years, the awardees will be granted an amount of Rs 70,000 monthly and for the third and last two years, the monthly allowance will rise up to 75,000 and 80,000 respectively.

Shah Masheerul Alam, one of the three awardees, is a resident of the Khee Jogipora area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. He reached JMI at the postgraduate level wherefrom he went on to do his master’s degree in Physics.

Back home in Kulgam, Alam did his schooling at a private school. He opted for medical and non-medical subjects at the higher secondary level.

Shah who is currently exploring harmful gases in the atmosphere and ‘Gas Sensors’, is eyeing to work on a specific ‘gas’ with objectives to use the ‘Gas Sensors’ for the betterment of society.

Sakeena Masrat, another scholar hailing from the Pattan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, said, “The fellowship helps in improving the working conditions of a scholar.”

Mudasir Younis Sofi, 27, a resident of Wahibugh, Pulwama opined that the PMRF fellows will have an edge while applying for posts at +2 and +3 levels, across Universities and Public Service Commissions.”

With more energy crises worldwide, Sofi is unearthing novel materials that can produce ‘green energy’.

“Without posing any threat to the environment, I am using Thermoelectric, Spintronics and Optoelectronic device applications for converting waste heat into useful energy,” Sofi said.

Both Sofi and Masrat did their schooling up to the high school level at private educational institutions in Pulwama and Baramulla districts respectively.

With a non-medical stream at the high school level, Sofi graduated in Science and then went on to do his Masters and MPhil from Jiwaji University in Gwalior.

“The main objective of the fellowship is to enhance and improve the research procedure,” both Sofi and Masrat said.

While Sofi is working on novel materials, Masrat is looking for nanomaterials used in Biosensors and Chemical sensors.

Sofi who has more computational work to do, high-end computers are the first priority for him, which will be fulfilled by the grant amount. As for Masrat, experimenting and analysing the synthesised nanomaterials in a sophisticated laboratory are domain-related works.