He has been active in science education and is Class of 1948 Herman B Wells Endowed Professor (Emeritus since 2003) at Indiana University Bloomington.
[citation needed] Basu's academic contributions include studying differences in rock formation on Earth, the Moon, and Mars, among others.
[3] The Geological Society of America (GSA) gave its highest service award to Basu in 2006.
The number of books published by the GSA has doubled during Basu's 10-year editorial term.
[5] Basu has received Distinguished Service Awards from Indiana University Bloomington and the North American Bengali Conference.