India’s scientific community has marked a major milestone after Professor Kuljeet Kaur Marhas from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad became the first Indian woman to be elected as Fellow of The Meteoritical Society. The recognition is regarded as one of the highest honours in the field of meteoritics and planetary science, placing her among some of the world’s most respected researchers studying the origins of planets, meteorites, and the Solar System itself.

Professor Marhas has been selected as a Fellow for 2026. The honour is reserved for scientists whose work has significantly shaped global understanding of meteorites, planetary materials, cosmochemistry, and the early history of the Solar System. Her election is being celebrated not only as an individual achievement but also as a proud moment for Indian scientific research on the international stage.

Only the third Indian scientist to receive the honour

The Meteoritical Society was founded in 1933 and has been electing Fellows for more than nine decades. In its long 93-year history, only a handful of scientists from across the world have received this prestigious recognition. Professor Marhas has now become only the third Indian scientist to be honoured by the society.

Before her, the distinction had been awarded to renowned Indian scientists Devendra Lal and JN Goswami, both of whom made significant contributions to planetary sciences and cosmochemistry. With Professor Marhas joining that elite list, scientists and researchers across the country are seeing this achievement as a sign of India’s growing importance in advanced space and planetary studies.

Her election also carries deeper meaning because it highlights the increasing role of Indian women scientists in highly specialised global research fields that were once dominated by Western institutions. Researchers believe this recognition reflects the quality of scientific work being carried out in India, especially in institutions like PRL that have steadily built a strong reputation in planetary sciences.

Research focused on the origins of the solar system

Professor Marhas is internationally recognised for her detailed research on short-lived radionuclides and stable isotopes found in extraterrestrial materials. Over the years, her scientific work has focused on understanding the earliest stages of the Solar System and the chemical history hidden inside meteorites and cosmic dust particles.

Her research has involved the study of pre-solar grains, Calcium-Aluminium-rich Inclusions (CAIs), chondrules, and organic matter preserved inside meteorites. These materials are considered some of the oldest surviving substances formed during the birth of the Solar System billions of years ago. By studying them carefully, scientists are able to reconstruct how planets, asteroids, and other celestial bodies were formed over time.

Professor Marhas has also worked on samples collected through some of the most important international space missions in history. These include NASA’s Stardust mission, Japan’s Hayabusa mission, and samples associated with the historic Apollo program. Each of these missions brought back precious extraterrestrial material that allowed scientists to study space matter directly in laboratories on Earth.

Using advanced scientific tools such as Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) and nanoSIMS, she examined microscopic isotopic signatures trapped inside ancient extraterrestrial materials. These signatures act almost like time capsules, preserving evidence from the earliest stages of the Solar System. Her work helped scientists better understand how matter evolved in space and how the Solar System transformed over billions of years.

Experts in planetary science say that her findings have contributed significantly to the global understanding of cosmochemistry, isotope evolution, and planetary formation processes. Her work is often regarded as highly precise because it combines advanced laboratory techniques with deep theoretical understanding of planetary materials.

Strengthening India’s presence in cosmochemistry

Scientists and researchers believe Professor Marhas has played an important role in strengthening India’s standing in cosmochemistry and planetary science research. Her contributions have helped bring greater international attention to Indian studies involving meteorites, isotopes, and extraterrestrial materials.

Reacting to the recognition, Professor Marhas said that the honour reflects the strong scientific environment at the Physical Research Laboratory and also highlights the growing possibilities for planetary science research in India. She explained that studying extraterrestrial materials is not limited to understanding the distant past of the Solar System, but is also important for preparing future planetary exploration missions and scientific discoveries.

Apart from being elected Fellow of The Meteoritical Society, Professor Marhas is also a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, another globally respected scientific organisation. Earlier in her career, she was awarded the Devendra Lal Memorial Medal in recognition of her important contributions to planetary science and cosmochemistry.

Her latest achievement has now added another historic chapter to India’s journey in global space science research, while also inspiring a new generation of young Indian researchers, especially women, to pursue careers in planetary exploration and cosmochemistry.