Abstract

The importance to follow ethical guidelines and maintain academic integrity in Education and Research cannot be overemphasized. During the past two decades this issue has become increasingly significant and relevant owing to the easy access to information through the internet. It is not unusual to hear about plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification of data in students’ reports/research publications/research proposals etc., in many fields. This lecture will highlight the need to strictly follow ethical practices and maintain academic integrity in education and research at all levels. A few problem cases will also be discussed.

About the Speaker

Prof. Maitra did his BSc in Chemistry honors from the Presidency College in Kolkata and then MSc in Chemistry from IIT Kanpur in 1981. He then went overseas and did his PhD with Prof. Ronald Breslow at Columbia University in New York, USA. After his PhD in 1986, he joined the laboratory of Prof. Paul Bartlett at the University of California Berkeley for his postdoctoral work. After returning to India, he spent a year as an Assistant Professor at the Chemistry Department at IIT Kanpur before moving to the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1989. At IISc Bangalore, he initiated a long-term research program on the novel chemistry of bile acids and asymmetric synthesis. His research focus gradually shifted to supramolecular gels, which became an intense area of research by the turn of the century.  His recent work has been in the development of luminescent hydrogels and a novel pro-sensitizer-based sensing of enzymes, small molecules, and selected drugs on a paper-based platform. His research contributions were widely recognized both nationally and internationally. He is a recipient of a large number of awards including the Bhatnagar Prize, Professor T Navaneeth Rao National Best Chemistry Teacher Award, CDRI Drug Research Award, AV Rama Rao Foundation Prize Lecture, JC Bose National Fellowship, and so forth. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, and the Indian National Science Academy. He has also been immensely interested in chemical education and is involved in arranging and running chemical education workshops to teach chemistry at schools and colleges, especially in remote areas. He is also deeply associated with the CRSI (Chemical Research Society of India) and is currently serving as the President of the CRSI.