This year, in the Life Sciences category, the award has been given to Prof Shubha Tole, who is an associate professor and principal investigator in the department of biological sciences, at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), in Mumbai.

It was cited that she had made significant contributions in understanding how the brain structure and circuitry are formed in the embryo, leading to better understanding of human behavior, cognition and emotions.

Now in its 6th year, the Infosys Prize is given to high caliber researchers for their impactful contribution in their respective fields.

The prize consists of Rs 55 lakh, which is tax-free for winners receiving within India; a 22-karat medallion; and a citation certificate.

The awarding ceremony will happen in Kolkata on January 5, 2015, and the awards will be presented by the Indian President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.

The Infosys Science Foundation, erected in 2009, is funded by a corpus which stands at Rs 100 crore, contributed by the trustees and Infosys.

In 2013, Dr Rajesh S Gokhale, director, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, won the award for his work in the field of lipid metabolism in M. tuberculosis

The other 5 winners for 2014 include:

Engineering and Computer Science
Prof Jayant Haritsa
Professor, Supercomputer Education and Research Centre (SERC) and Chair, Department of Computer Science and Automation (CSA), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India

Prof Jayant Haritsa has been awarded this prize for his contributions to the design and optimization of database engines.

Humanities
Prof Shamnad Basheer
Founder and Managing Trustee, Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA), Bangalore and Founder - SpicyIP, India

Prof Shamnad Basheer has been awarded this prize for his contributions to the analysis of a range of legal issues, including pharmaceutical patent injunctions and enforcement.

Mathematical Sciences
Prof Madhu Sudan
Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research New England and Adjunct Professor, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) department and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Prof Madhu Sudan has been awarded this prize for his seminal contributions to probabilistically checkable proofs and error-correcting codes.

Physical Sciences
Dr Srivari Chandrasekhar
Scientist G, Organic Chemistry Division, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, India

Dr Srivari Chandrasekhar has been awarded this prize for his contributions in the general area of synthetic organic chemistry with a special focus on the synthesis of complex molecules from natural sources.

Social Sciences
Prof Esther Duflo
Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics, Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Founder & Director, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), USA

Prof Esther Duflo has been awarded this prize for her pioneering contributions to development economics, especially work related to countries such as India and Africa.