AD Damodaran, leading scientist and former director of the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), passed away on Friday in Thiruvananthapuram at the age of 87. He also served as the Chairman of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment.
A renowned material scientist, he had a stint with the Nuclear Fuels Complex, Hyderabad, and was visiting scientist at both the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, and the Indian Institute of Metals. Damodaran joined CSIR-NIIST as director in May 1985 and served in that capacity for 12 years.
He was also the chairman of the public sector Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation (Keltron) and an expert in Intellectual Property Rights, food nutrition, nutraceuticals and advanced materials. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed condolences on the demise of Damodaran, who also happens to be the son-in-law of EMS Namboothiripad, Marxist theoretician and the first chief minister of the state.