Indian academics receive prestigious technology and teaching awards

Dr. Nishanth Dongari, an Associate Professor at IIT Hyderabad and founder of PURE Energy, has received the Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award 2026 from IIT Kharagpur. The award recognizes his development of PuREPower, an integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) designed to provide reliable, decentralized clean energy and address grid instability in India.

Separately, the Union Ministry of Education has announced the National Best Teacher Awards for 21 faculty members from higher education institutions. The recipients, who will be honored by President Droupadi Murmu on September 5, include Prof. Kirti Chandra Sahu of IIT Hyderabad and Dr. Arun Babu of AIIMS Mangalagiri, among others recognized for excellence in teaching, research, and academic leadership.