 Scientist About me Arjun Prasad works at the intersection of science education, technology, and public policy. His primary research interest lies in implementation science, with a focus on understanding the methods and strategies employed by implementers and policymakers. His work aims to bridge the policy–practice gap by identifying systemic barriers and facilitating effective implementation of education policies through participatory and evidence-informed approaches. He is also interested in identifying research gaps in the education sector where targeted policy interventions are needed. Name of Schemes &programmes (including external funded Programmes):
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Academic
Academic Qualifications:
- PhD: (Subject/Broad Area, Title, year, Institution/University)
On-going
Education policy implementation (Subject/Broad area)
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay - Post-graduation: (Subject, year, University)
2012
Molecular Biotechnology (Subject/Broad area)
University of Bonn, Germany - Graduation: (Subject, year, University)
2008
Biotechnology & Biochemical Engineering (Subject/Broad area)
University of Kerala
Professional Experience/ Academic Positions:
| Designation | Organization | Duration |
| Scientist | Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment | 22 October 2019 – present |
| Junior Scientist | Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment | 22 October 2014 – 22 October 2019 |
| Scientific officer | Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment | 11 July 2013 – 22 October 2014 |
Research
Broad area
- Evidence-based education policy making & implementation
- Science education research
Details of ongoing and completed project (if any)
Involved in the co-ordination and scientific management of the following science and technology promotion programmes:
| Schemes/programme name | Details | Period of responsibility |
| Sastraposhini in schools | The scheme is envisioned to enhance science education in high schools of Kerala by setting up modern laboratories in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology to provide students with hands-on learning experiences. | 2014 – 2020 |
| Scheme for Promoting Young Talents in Science (SPYTiS) | The scheme aims to nurture young talents in schools and colleges to carry out innovative science projects. | 2014 – 2022 |
| Student project | The objective of the scheme is to provide financial assistance to students enrolled in professional courses (Graduate and Post Graduate) and Science Post Graduate Courses in colleges and universities to carry out science and technology projects. In addition to the financial support from Govt. of Kerala, the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India sanctioned an amount of Rs.1.85 croresto support the scheme. | 2014 – 2020 |
| National Science Day celebrations | The objectives involve organizing programmes at schools and colleges to popularize the importance of science. The scheme was supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. | 2014-2022 |
| SastraSameeksha | Aimed to spark an early interest in science among high school students, motivating them to pursue scientific learning and careers through interactive workshops and experimental sessions, the programmes are conducted in association with different S&T institutions in Kerala. | 2014 – 2020 |
| Crafting Young Scientists of Tomorrow (CRYSTAL) program | The program is designed as a mentoring programme for school students to identify their areas of interest at an early age and nurture them through customized training programs. | 2017 – 2022 |
| Science Education Centre | The scheme is envisioned to improve the quality of science education in Kerala by encouraging research in science education, capacity building of teachers & students through development of new pedagogical and learning approaches. | 2017- 2022 |
| Science Writing Fellowship/ Science Media Support | The fellowship encourages science writing in Malayalam and aims to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and society by translating complex topics into accessible, engaging content for the public. | 2014 – 2020 |
| Partnering Academic Industrial Research (PAIR) scheme | The scheme is aimed to strengthen industry-academia linkage and encourage translational research through joint research programmes. | 2017-2022 |
| Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Youth Challenge Programmme | This is aimed to encourage the youth to develop ideas and solutions to address challenging problems of Kerala. | 2021-2022 |
| International Year of Crystallography (IYCr) 2014 celebrations
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A series of programmes were organized for students, teachers and general public to promote awareness of crystallography and its applications.
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2014 |
| Celebration of International Year of Light- and Light-based Technologies 2015 | The core objective of IYL 2015 was to promote awareness among the students, teachers and general public of the importance of light science and its applications in addressing global challenges.
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2015 |
| National Mathematics Day celebrations | The programmes are organized in association with different educational institutions to commemorate the contributions of mathematical genius SrinivasaRamanujan and inspire a positive attitude toward learning mathematics among students. The scheme was supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. | 2018 – 2022 |
Publications
Best cited Publications
- Akanksha K, Prasad A, Sukumaran RK, Nampoothiri M, Pandey A, Rao SS, Parameswaran B. Dilute acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of sorghum biomass for sugar recovery–a statistical approach. Indian J Exp Biol. 2014 Nov;52(11):1082-9. PMID: 25434103
- Käß, F., Prasad, A., Tillack, J., Moch, M., Giese, H., Büchs, J., Wiechert, W., &Oldiges, M. (2014). Rapid assessment of oxygen transfer impact for Corynebacteriumglutamicum. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, 37, 2567-2577. DOI: 10.1007/s00449-014-1234-1
- Mashood, K.K., Khosla, K., Prasad, A., V, S., Ch, M.A., Jose, C., &Chandrasekharan, S. (2022). Participatory approach to introduce computational modeling at the undergraduate level, extending existing curricula and practices: Augmenting derivations. Physical Review Physics Education Research. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.020136
URL of Googlescholar/researchgateetc
- https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BIcHk-AAAAAJ&hl=en
- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Arjun-Prasad-8?ev=hdr_xprf
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2884-585X
- https://sites.google.com/view/arjunprasad/
Awards
- Awarded Prof. Ramkumar scholarship to attend the Educational Data Mining conference held at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru from July 11-14, 2023
- Advanced to the Phase II of 2023-24 Tools Competition in the Accelerating & Assessing Learning Track
Membership
Membership in Professional Bodies
- Member, EdTech Society
- Member, IUCN Commission on Education and Communication
- Member, International Association of Engineers (IAENG)
- Member, The Biotech Research Society(BRSI)
- Life Member, Kerala Academy of Sciences
My Team
Contact
Arjun Prasad
Scientist
Tel: +91-471-2548 218
Email: arjun.kscste@kerala.gov.in