Prof. Dipankar Das Sarma obtained his Integrated MSc degree in physics from IIT Kanpur in the year 1977 and Ph.D. from IISc Bangalore in 1982. Prof. Sarma started off his career as a research associate in IISc. He has worked as a guest scientist at Kernforschungsanlage, Germany, as a visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo, the istituto di struttura della materia, CNR, Rome, and Trieste.
He was the MLS Chair Professor as well as the founder-Chairman of the Centre for Advanced Materials at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata during 2006-2008. He has been a member of the faculty at solid-state and structural chemistry unit at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, since 1986 and is currently a Professor and the Chairman of the Department. He also holds time-bound (2011-2016) joint appointments as a guest Professor at the department of physics and astronomy, Uppsala University, Sweden, and Distinguished Scientist of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. He is or has been a distinguished honorary/Adjunct Professor of a number of institutions, such as JNCASR, Bangalore (2003-); TIFR, Mumbai (2003-2009 and 2011-2014); IISER, Kolkata (2007-2009); IACS, Kolkata, (2004-2006 and 2009-2014); and SNBNCBS, Kolkata (2014-202017). 
Prof. Sarma is a world leader in two distinct research areas, strongly correlated electron systems and semiconductor nanoparticles, with profound contributions in several specific sub-areas under these two broad categories of scientific research. Prof. Sarma has been instrumental in contributing to the growth of science in India. He is a pioneer among Indians in the field of investigation of properties of matter employing synchrotron radiation. He has played a significant role in providing access to international synchrotron facilities for Indian scientists. Besides publishing a large number of papers in the topmost journals, he has been invited by many international conferences all around the world to deliver the keynote, plenary, or invited talks. There are many leading scientists who work with him in close collaboration in numerous projects..
He has been serving in a large number of national and international committees to facilitate research and research organisations, for example as a member, Scientific Advisory Board, CRANN, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (2012-2013, 2014-2016), the Chairman of the Research Council of National Chemical Laboratories (2010-2013, 2013-2016), member of the Council of Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (2005-2008 and 2011-2016), of Indo-French Centre for the promotion of advanced research (2009-2012), of Indian National Science Academy (2009-2011), of Asia-Pacific Centre for Theoretical Physics, Pohang, Korea (2008-2010), and Chairman of the proposal review committee, Elettra Synchrotron Centre, Trieste (2003-2010). He has served on the editorial board of a large number of science journals.
Innovation is the hallmark of Professor Sarma's work. Besides this, he is able to uniquely combine with perfect ease sophisticated experimental techniques with various theoretical approaches on one hand, and physics and chemical physics/physical chemistry on the other, providing a very distinctive approach. Prof. Sarma has been recognised for his work, not only nationally, but also internationally.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award is being conferred upon Prof. Dipankar Das Sarma for his outstanding contributions to understanding the structure and properties of condensed matter employing synchrotron radiations.
