Bengali scientist gets People Leadership Award at NASA

Gautam Chattopadhyay, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is a shining example of the saying, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” Born and brought up in Nabagram in Konnagar, Hooghly, he grew up with five siblings. Despite the odds, he excelled in his studies. Chattopadhyay has become part of the distinguished group of Bengali scientists at NASA and has recently received the prestigious NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2023 People Leadership Award. This achievement is not only a source of pride for Bengal but for all of India. Naturally, his family is exceptionally proud of him.

Chattopadhyay finds his greatest joy when he engages with young, curious minds. Taking to LinkedIn post receiving the award, he wrote, “I feel humbled and honoured to receive NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2023 People Leadership Award. The part of the citation reads, “for providing technical leadership, motivation, and mentoring to the next generation of RF/Microwave engineers.” This award is presented annually to selected individuals who have distinguished themselves by making outstanding contributions to NASA-JPL. The most exciting part of my job at NASA-JPL is that I get to talk to young professionals who are the best and brightest in their fields and come from all across the globe. The twinkling of excitement and dreams in their eyes is the best reward anyone can get - I consider myself very fortunate to get this opportunity.”

Chattopadhyay has been academically inclined since childhood. He completed his school education at Nabagram Vidyapith in Konnagar and went on to study Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Calcutta. He completed his MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia and PhD in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1999. He has been working at NASA for the past 12 years.

His success brought great joy to his family and the neighbourhood. When his sister Dolly Chakraborty is asked about her brother’s achievements, she said, “My brother has always been a smart kid. He was equally passionate about sports. His accomplishments make us proud every day.”

His younger brother, Kaushik Bhattacharya, said that Chattopadhyay plans to return home in December. “Despite his remarkable achievements, he has always remained down-to-earth. When he’s home, he chats with friends just like the old days. It’s amazing how he is still the same person, who started from nowhere and has reached great heights,” he said.

Every year, NASA acknowledges and honours scientists in space science. This year, Chattopadhyay received the special leadership award for motivating the younger generation to become interested in and involved in scientific research. His family also shared that Chattopadhyay will be a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming space mission.