Specializing in Spectroscopy, Snehamoy Datta obtained his DSc in 1922 from the University of London. He was appointed as Professor of Physics, Presidency College, Kolkata; Professor of Physics at Rajshahi College (now in Bangladesh); Director of Public Instruction, Government of undivided Bengal and finally as the Registrar, University of Calcutta.

Academic and Research Achievements: Datta made original contributions in the study of the spectra of different compounds, magnetism and dielectric constant, and electricity and thermodynamics. He attempted to determine the possible relations among the band spectra of similar chemical compounds of different elements and chose fluoride of alkaline earth metals to work on. The spectra of these compounds showed the existence of several new bands in various regions of the spectra. He found that the homologous series of different alkaline fluorides are connected by empirical equations which involve the series constants or the molecular number of respective compounds. He later attempted to find a general equation which might explain the different types of spectral series found to exist among band heads. A gifted teacher, Datta inspired generation of students.

Other Contributions: During his stay at Rajshahi College, due to lack of opportunity for spectroscopic work, Snehamoy Datta involved himself in a fundamental research problem on the composition of printing metal alloys. The work proved to be a landmark in the field of printing technology.

Awards and Honours: Professor Datta was a Foundation Fellow and Council Member of the Indian Physical Society.