Prakrit Scholar Andrew Ollett, genome pioneer Anjana Badrinarayanan among Infosys prize winners

Bengaluru, Nov 12 (PTI) The Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) on Wednesday announced the winners of the Infosys Prize 2025, a top honour in Indian research that includes a purse of USD 100,000. Among the six laureates are Andrew Ollett, the world’s foremost scholar of the Prakrit languages, and Anjana Badrinarayanan, known for her pioneering work in genome repair.

The prize was announced across six categories—Economics, Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences.

The prize for each category comprises a gold medal, a citation, and a prize purse of USD 100,000 (or its equivalent in INR), it said.

According to ISF, the winners of the Infosys Prize 2025 are Nikhil Agarwal, Paul A Samuelson Professor of Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Economics), Sushant Sachdeva, Associate Professor of Mathematical and Computational Sciences at the University of Toronto (Engineering and Computer Science), Andrew Ollett, Associate Professor in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago (Humanities and Social Sciences), Anjana Badrinarayanan, Associate Professor at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore (Life Sciences), Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Associate Professor at the School of Mathematics at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai (Mathematical Sciences) and Karthish Manthiram, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Physical Sciences).

The winners were announced by the trustees of ISF.

Ollett, who has been awarded in the category of Humanities and Social Sciences is known for his linguistic mastery and knowledge, ranging from detailed contributions to the study of Sanskrit, Prakrit, Kannada, Tamil, Old Javanese, and Chinese, in addition to his knowledge of the modern European languages and his training in Greek and Latin, it said.

Badrinarayanan was awarded in Life Sciences category for her pioneering contributions to understanding mechanisms of genome maintenance and repair.

K. Dinesh, President - Board of Trustees, Infosys Science Foundation, said, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the winners of the Infosys Prize 2025, whose achievements reflect the vital connection between research, science, and society, inspiring the next generation of innovators. The Infosys Prize continues to embody our belief that research and science are cornerstones of human progress. It reflects the Foundation’s enduring commitment to nurturing a culture that drives innovation and broadens understanding across disciplines.” PTI AMP ROH