Kailasavadivoo Sivan (born 14 April 1957) is an Indian space scientist and the chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organization.
He has previously served as the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
Key Description of Kailasavadivoo Sivan:
Chairman: Indian Space Research Organisation (From 15 January 2018)
Preceded By A. S. Kiran Kumar
Born: Kailasavadivoo Sivan (14 April 1957 (age 63)), Mela Sarakkalvilai, Kanyakumari District (present-day Tamil Nadu), India
Awards: IEEE Simon Ramo Medal
Books: Integrated Design for Space Transportation System
Children: Siddharth, Sushanth
Spouse: Malathi Sivan
Nationality: Indian
Education: Madurai University (B.Sc.), Madras Institute of Technology (B.Tech), IISc, Bangalore (M.E.), IIT, Bombay (Ph.D)
Social Network: Facebook
Early life:
Sivan was born in Mela Sarakkalvilai, near Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu state of India. His parents are Kailasa Vadivu and mother Chellam.
Education of Kailasavadivoo Sivan:
Sivan is son of a farmer and studied in a Tamil medium Government school in Mela Sarakkalvilai Village and later in Vallankumaranvilai in Kanyakumari district.
He is the first graduate from his family. Later Sivan graduated with a bachelor's degree in engineering from Madras Institute of Technology in 1980.
He then got a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1982, and started working in ISRO.
He earned a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 2006. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the Aeronautical Society of India and the Systems Society of India.
Career of Kailasavadivoo Sivan:
Sivan worked on the design and development of launch vehicles for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Sivan joined ISRO in 1982 to participate on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Project.
He was appointed as the director of ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre on 2 July 2014. He was conferred Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from Sathyabama University, Chennai in April 2014. On 1 June 2015, he became the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
Sivan was appointed the chief of ISRO in January 2018 and he assumed office on 15 January.
Under his chairmanship, ISRO launched Chandrayaan 2, the second mission to the moon on July 22, 2019.
Awards:
- Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award, 2019.
- IEEE Simon Ramo Medal, shared with Byrana N. Suresh, 2020.