When the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel prize in Chemistry to Swiss scientist Prof.(Dr.) Richard R. Ernst, very few people expected the kind of revolution his research would make in the field of medical science. Prof. Ernst's contributions to the development of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy have made the technique nearly indispensable in many of today's scientific laboratories across the world, studying a wide range of phenomena, such as the three-dimensional structure of proteins, the chemical interactions of molecules in solution, and the effects of drugs on metabolic processes. It was this pioneering advances which have changed the way of lives of millions of people across the globe.

Born to Robert Ernst, a teacher of Architecture at the technical high school in Winterthur, Switzerland in the year 1833 Richard R Ernst grew up with his two sisters. The small town that combined the artistic and industrious activities shaped the childhood of the Nobel laureate in the making. At the age of 13, Ernst came across a box of chemicals belonging to his uncle who had died a decade before his birth. The interest in Chemistry started then, led him to receive his BA in Chemistry in 1957 and his PhD. In Physical Chemistry in 1962 from the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. From 1963 to 1968, he worked as a Research Chemist in Palo Alto USA. It was during this time in 1966, working with an American colleague, Ernst discovered that the sensitivity of NMR techniques which was limited to analysis of only a few nuclei , could be dramatically increased by replacing the slow, sweeping radio waves traditionally used in NMR spectroscopy with short, intense pulses. His discovery enabled analysis of a great many more types of nuclei and smaller amounts of materials.

On his return to Switzerland in 1968 after an extensive trip through Asia, Ernst took over the lead of the NMR research group. Despite the lack of suitable instrumentation, he continued his work on methodological improvements of time-domain NMR with repetitive pulse experiments and Fourier double resonance. His major contribution to the field of NMR Spectroscopy was a technique that enabled a high resolution, 'two-dimensional' study of larger molecules than had previously even accessible to NMR. Ernst's research in bi and tri-dimensional spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and their practical applications, specially in the medical field won him the Nobel prize in Chemistry in 1991. With Ernst's refinements, scientists were able to determine the three-dimensional structure of organic and inorganic compounds and of biological macromolecules such as proteins; to study the interaction between biological molecules and other substances such as metal ions, water, and drugs; to identify chemical species; and to study the rates of chemical reactions. The free availability of structural data promised to accelerate scientific discovery in all areas of biological science, including biodiversity and evolution in natural ecosystems, agricultural plant genetics, breeding of farm and domestic animals, and human health and disease.

With access to sequences of entire human genomes plus those of various model organisms and many important microbial pathogens, structural biology is on the verge of a dramatic transformation. With the newfound wealth of sequence information serving as the foundation for an important initiative in structural genomic, scientists are poised to embark on a systematic programme of high-throughput X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy aimed at developing a comprehensive view of the protein structure universe. First proposed in the early 1970's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is today a standard diagnostic procedure and a widely used research tool. The crucial advantages of MRI consist in its non-invasiveness outstanding v versatility. Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy developed by Ernst is largely used in medicine to get precise images of the human body and in such context is known as MRI.

It is interesting to note that although Prof. Ernst had been active in the field of NMR spectroscopy for about 30 years, he was recognized by the Nobel committee primarily for two fundamental advances, Fourier transformation NMR (FT-NMR) and two-dimensional NMR (2D-NMR). Multidimensional NMR is also being used to study the interactions of biological molecules with other substances, such as water and metal ions, as well as the effects that certain drugs have on metabolic processes. Ernst also developed magnetic resonance imaging, which enables researchers to visualize soft tissues in the body, on the pulse techniques developed. No wonder then that Ernst was one of the 300 most cited scientists of the world from 1981 to 1990.

Prof. Ernst has received numerous other honours for his work including the Silver medal for his Ph.D. In 1991 he shared the prestigious Wolf Prize for Chemistry given by the Wolf Foundation of Isreal with Alex Pines of Berkeley and the Louisa Gross Horwitz prize for Biology or Biochemistry, which he shared with Kurt UTHRICH OF eth, Zurich. In 2000, he was presented with the Tadeus Reichstein Medal.

There is another most important trait of Prof (Dr.) Ernst's multi-faceted personality. His humility can be best described in his own words. In the poster made by the Nobel committee, Prof. Ernst candidly acknowledged that the idea he has developed, originally came from the Belgian scientist Jean Jeener, Professor at the University, Libre de Bruxelles. Speaking about his success, he makes it very clear saying, " Looking back, I realize that I have been favoured extraordinarily by external circumstances, the proper place at the proper time in terms of my Ph.D thesis, my first employment in USA, hearing about Jeen Jeener's idea and in particular having had incredibly brilliant coworkers'.

Very few people know that Prof . Ernst is an avid musician and as a youth he had considered becoming a cellist or composer. It was during his extensive trip through Asia before coming back to Switzerland in 1968, Prof. Ernst developed his insatiable love for Asian art particularly for Tibetan scroll painting thangkas, a unique and most exciting form of religious art with its own strict rules and nevertheless incorporating an incredible exuberance of creativity. The lecture on 'Tibetan Painting Art seen through the eyes of a western scientist' reflects his long standing understanding and interest in Tibetan thangka painting. He has also a sound knowledge of the religious beliefs, philosophical principles, and historical facts of the sub-continent and the influence of India, China and Mongolia on the thangka art form.

In his first ever visit to Odisha, Prof. Ernst will come across the rich treasure of art and culture of the state despite his busy schedule in KIIT University. Apart from being the Chief Guest in the special Convocation of KIIT honouring Yog Guru Baba Ramdev, Prof (Dr.) Richard R Ernst has also laid the foundation for the School of Biotechnology in KIIT, Besides being the Chief Speaker in the National seminar (ATMIDPA) organized in KIIT on January 26.