The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), an association of cotton producing, consuming, trading, and investing countries has selected Dr N Vigneshwaran, Principal Scientist and Head of the Chemical and Biochemical Processing Division at the ICAR–Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (ICAR-CIRCOT), Mumbai, India, as the ICAC Researcher of the Year 2026.
According to ICAC, the Researcher of the Year Award honours scientists whose contributions have advanced cotton science, technology, sustainability, productivity and value addition. The award is regarded as one of the most prestigious international recognitions in cotton research.
With more than two decades of research experience, Vigneshwaran has developed advanced cotton-processing technologies, including nano-silver and nano-zinc oxide fabric finishes that provide over 99% antibacterial efficacy and UPF 50+ UV protection, with durability of up to 20 wash cycles.
His work includes research on nanocellulose derived from cotton linters and stalks, nanofinishing of cotton textiles, nanofertilizers, biohydrogen production from cotton biomass and value-added applications of cotton residues.
Under his guidance, India’s first pilot-scale nanocellulose production facility based on cotton biomass, with a processing capacity of 10 kg per 8-hour shift, has been operating since 2015.
ICAR mentioned in a statement that Dr. Vigneshwaran has published over 35 cotton-related papers in international scientific journals, authored and co-authored 11 books and book chapters published by leading international publishers.
