Prafulla Kumar Jena was an Indian metallurgist who headed the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, formerly known as the Regional Research Laboratory, in Bhubaneshwar. At the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, he previously occupied the TATA Chair for the Distinguished Professor of Metallurgical Engineering. In 1977, he received the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour in India.
Jena was born on December 27, 1931, in Taliha, Jajpur, Odisha. He graduated with honours from Utkal University with a master's degree in physical chemistry and a doctorate in chemistry. He then continued his studies at UBC, where he earned an M.S. in metallurgical engineering. Initially, he worked as a senior scientist in the metallurgy division of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, but later assumed the position of professor of metallurgical engineering at Banares Hindu University.
Prior to assuming the Tata Chair of the Distinguished Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Jena held positions as director of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)'s Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) (1972) and director general of the CSIR (1986).Additionally, he had served as a senior visiting professor at two international universities: Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Jena, a former president of the Natural Resources Development Foundation, chaired the Institute of Advanced Technology and Environmental Studies, a company that provides technical training and consulting services in the areas of material development, waste and water resource management, mining, and mineral processing.
Jena's contributions are recognised in the creation of Science Park, the Institute of Physics, and the Pathani Samanta Planetarium in Odisha.[16] In addition, he served as the founding chairman of the Institute of Advance Technology & Environmental Studies (IATES) in Bhubaneswar and president of the Natural Resources Development Foundation (NRDF) in Bhubaneswar. When the quarterly Journal of Sustainable Planet of the IATES was founded in 2010, he served as its first editor-in-chief.
