Narayan S. Hosmane

Narayan Hosmane is among the world leaders in boron chemistry research, and his scholarship has potential applications in a wide range of areas, from the development of new cancer treatment drugs to ways to make better plastics.

Hosmane joined the NIU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 1998 and was awarded the Presidential Research Professorship three years later. He has an extensive record of accomplishment, including publication of more than 245 peer-reviewed manuscripts, the presentation of 100 papers and 130 seminars worldwide, and more than $5 million in research awards from funding agencies that include the American Chemical Society, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

In 2001, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Bonn, Germany presented Hosmane with the coveted Humboldt Research Award for senior scientists (with a stipend of about $70,000). The award is presented to scientists worldwide as a tribute to their lifelong accomplishments. The Humboldt Foundation then last year extended a rare second invite to bring him back to Germany for further collaborations.

Hosmane has received other international awards including the BUSA Award for Distinguished Achievements in Boron Science; the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Distinguished Chair of Chemistry at the University of Hyderabad, India; and the Gauss Professorship of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences, Germany.

Students are involved in Hosmane’s scholarship as well. He has directed the research of 41 post-doctoral fellows, eight Ph.D. students, 11 master’s students, 52 undergraduates and 12 high school students.

“The training of undergraduates, and preparing them for the real world, I think that is my real accomplishment,” Hosmane said. “I believe the science of chemistry can only be taught in a research lab where fundamental questions on the frontiers of chemistry are probed. In my view, both researching and teaching are integral parts of the learning process.”

Chemistry and Biochemistry Chair Jon Carnahan said Hosmane is a leader among faculty as well.

“He leads by example,” Carnahan said. “Narayan is certainly one of the most highly respected researchers at the university. He also has served as a wonderful mentor for graduate students and our junior faculty. He has helped enhance NIU’s reputation as a global university and has become a leader on campus, speaking authoritatively with regard to NIU’s strategic needs.”