Avinash Chander (scientist)

{{short description|Indian scientist|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}} {{ Infobox office holder | name = Avinash Chander | office = 11th Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation | term = 2013-2015 | predecessor = Vijay Kumar Saraswat | successor = S. Christopher }} '''Avinash Chander''' is an Indian scientist who was Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, the Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development. He had succeeded V. K. Saraswat to this post but was sacked by the union government due to incompetency. <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/missile-man-avinash-chander-appointed-new-drdo-chief/1123607/ |title=Missile man Avinash Chander appointed new DRDO Chief |access-date=14 January 2015 |archive-date=31 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131010137/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/missile-man-avinash-chander-appointed-new-drdo-chief/1123607 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=a>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iitdalumni.com/node/40535 |title=AVINASH CHANDER |access-date=14 January 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402204910/http://www.iitdalumni.com/node/40535 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/avinash-chander-is-new-drdo-chief/article4769905.ece Avinash Chander is new DRDO chief]</ref>

He is the chief architect of the Agni series of ballistic missile systems.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4SedwzW4fL7X2FobF9nQ2ZKLW8/view |title=In Conversation with Avinash Chander |access-date=17 May 2016 |archive-date=27 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927045931/https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4SedwzW4fL7X2FobF9nQ2ZKLW8/view |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=ndtv-fired /> Chander is a recipient of the Padma Shri from the Government of India

== Education == Chander joined DRDO after completing his training in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi).<ref name=ndtv-fired /> He subsequently pursued an MS in Spatial Information Technology and Doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTU, Hyderabad).{{Cn|date=January 2025}}

== Sacking from DRDO == After completion of 42 years of Service in DRDO, on 14 January 2015, the Department of Personnel and Training advised his contract to end due to poor performance on 31 January 2015.<ref name=ndtv-fired>{{cite news |last1=Som |first1=Vishnu |title=After Sacking, Business as Usual for Avinash Chander at DRDO |url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/after-sacking-business-as-usual-for-avinash-chander-at-drdo-727393 |accessdate=21 March 2015 |work=India News |publisher=New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) |date=15 January 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402090826/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/after-sacking-business-as-usual-for-avinash-chander-at-drdo-727393 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Awards== Chander is recipient of numerous awards, some of which are listed below:<ref name=a/> # IIT Delhi Alumni Award # Padma Shri # DRDO Scientist of the year, 1989 # Astronautical Society of India Award, 1997 # Awarded by Dr. R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor to Govt. of India. # AGNI Self-Reliance Award, 1999 # Dr. Biren Roy Space Science Award, 2000 # DRDO Award, 2007 # Outstanding Technologist Award, 2008 # DRDO Technology Leadership Award, 2008 # Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineers # Fellow, System Society of India # Fellow, Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences # Vice-president, Astronautical Society of India # Chairman – Sensors Research Society, India # Aryabhata Award - Astronautical Society of India. # Eminent Engineer Award, The Institute of Engineers (India) 2016.

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chander, Avinash}} Category:Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni Category:Living people Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering Category:Defence Research and Development Organisation Category:Engineers from Andhra Pradesh Category:Indian military engineers Category:20th-century Indian engineers Category:Year of birth missing (living people)