Padma Shri 2026: the scientists and engineers behind India's deeptech push
From space propulsion and semiconductors to genetics and agriculture, the Padma Shri 2026 science and engineering honourees reflect the quiet research powering India’s deeptech ambitions.
Beyond the marquee profile of IIT Madras director Veezhinathan Kamakoti, the Padma Shri 2026 list recognised a group of scientists and engineers whose work spans space technology, semiconductors, genetics, agriculture and engineering research. Honoured in the field of science and engineering, these are figures whose contributions tend to sit out of public view but underpin much of the country's technological capability.
For a readership that follows India's deeptech ambitions, this category is among the most relevant on the list.
The science and engineering honourees
A E Muthunayagam of Kerala, a senior figure associated with India's space and propulsion research, was among those recognised. Kumarasamy Thangaraj of Telangana, known for his work in human genetics, and Juzer Vasi of Maharashtra, associated with research in semiconductors and solar photovoltaics, also feature on the list.
The full set of science and engineering honourees this year includes Muthunayagam, Thangaraj, Vasi, Ashok Kumar Singh of Uttar Pradesh, Chandramouli Gaddamanugu of Telangana, Gopal Ji Trivedi of Bihar, K Ramasamy of Tamil Nadu, Krishnamurty Balasubramanian of Telangana, Prem Lal Gautam of Himachal Pradesh, and Shubha Venkatesha Iyengar of Karnataka, a spread that reflects the geographic breadth of Indian research.
What counts as deeptech
The term deeptech is used often in startup circles, but it can be vague. In simple terms, it refers to technology built on substantial scientific or engineering advances, rather than on a new app or business model alone.
Semiconductors, space propulsion, advanced materials and genetics all fall within it. These are fields where progress is slow, capital intensive and reliant on deep expertise, which is exactly why the researchers who advance them matter so much to a country's long term capability. The scientists honoured this year work at that foundational layer.
Recognising this group alongside the more visible names on the Padma list is a useful corrective. It signals that the patient, often invisible work of scientific research sits at the same level of national esteem as achievement in the arts or business, and that India's deeptech future rests on the talent these honours acknowledge.