DasSarma, Basudeb | University of Illinois Archives

Basudeb DasSarma (1923-2007) was Research Associate in Chemistry at the University of Illinois (UI), from 1953 to 1955. He was a widely respected Indian American educator and chemist best known for his research contributions in the field of coordination chemistry.

DasSarma was born in Barisal, East Bengal, India, in 1923. He earned a B.S. (1944), M.S. (1946), and a Ph.D. (1950) in chemistry from the University of Calcutta and stayed on as a lecturer (1950-53). In 1953, he became Research Associate at UI, working with leading coordination chemist, John C. Bailar, Jr. (1953-55). From 1955 to 1957, DasSarma returned to teaching at the University of Calcutta before accepting the position of Chief Chemist at the Geological Survey of India (1957-66). In 1966, he emigrated to the United States, becoming Professor of Chemistry at West Virginia State University (1966-92) where he taught courses in inorganic and analytical chemistry. Over the course of his career, he published more than 40 papers covering his research interests in coordination chemistry and the stereo-chemistry of metal complexes. "He was also an active spokesman for environmental chemistry issues in the Kanawha Valley [West Virginia] area, publishing 50 news and opinion pieces in local newspapers" (Ainsworth). DasSarma was honored with the Kanawha Valley Section Award from the American Chemical Society (1971), the award for West Virginia State University's Outstanding Faculty Member (1973), and served as West Virginia Academy of Science President (1981-82). He retired in 1992, becoming Professor Emeritus of Chemistry.

DasSarma became a naturalized US citizen in 1972. He died on November 16, 2007, in Charleston, West Virginia.

Sources:

Susan J. Ainsworth, "Obituaries, Basudeb DasSarma," Chemical and Engineering News 86, no. 7 (February 18, 2008): p. 58, accessed online May 15, 2020, https://cen.acs.org/articles/86/i7/Obituaries.html?PageSpeed=noscript.

"Basudeb DasSarma," Prabook, accessed May 15, 2020, https://prabook.com/web/basudeb.dassarma/2460411.

Wikipedia, s.v. "Basudeb DasSarma," accessed May 15, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basudeb_DasSarma.