The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has approved a one-year extension in service for Dr. Samir V Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). This decision, made on May 27, 2024, extends Dr. Kamat’s tenure until May 31, 2025, beyond his original retirement date of May 31, 2024.
Dr. Kamat, who assumed his current role on August 25, 2022, is a distinguished alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and The Ohio State University, USA. His career with DRDO began in 1989, and before his appointment as Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO, he served as the Director General of Naval Systems and Materials.
An esteemed figure in the field of engineering, Dr. Kamat is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) and the Institution of Engineers India (IEI). His contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from IIT Kharagpur, the Metallurgist of the Year Award from the Ministry of Steel, and the Scientist of the Year Award from DRDO. He has also made significant academic contributions, with over 180 papers published in international peer-reviewed journals.
