The Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, India (IIT KGP) awarded Dr. Amit Roy, MS ChE ’71, PhD ChE ’76, the 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award. India Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh presented the award to Roy at the 57th IIT KGP Convocation last fall.

Roy, president and chief executive officer of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, has spent more than 30 years fighting the global war on hunger. His weapon against the formidable problem is NPK, which sounds a lot more intimidating than what the acronym represents—nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K)—the essential elements of fertilizer. These three nutrients combine with about 20 other secondary or “trace” minerals, such as copper, iron, manganese, zinc, and boron, to form the right combinations of nutrients required for plants to grow, flourish, and produce viable feedstock.

“About half of the world’s population is alive today because of increased food production fueled by mineral fertilizers,” Roy says, who joined the IFDC in 1978 as a chemical engineer and special projects engineer. Over the years, Roy has earned respect as one of the world’s leading experts on fertilizer technologies and solutions. In 1992, he was promoted to his current position of president and CEO of IFDC.