K. Sekar | |
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Born | Tamil Nadu, India |
Nationality | Indian |
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Kanakaraj Sekar is an Indian bioinformatician and a professor at the Department of Computational and Data Sciences of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Known for his studies in the field of bioinformatics, Sekar heads the Laboratory for Structural Biology and Bio-computing at IISc. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences in 2004.
Born in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Sekar did his master's degree at the University of Madras and after earning an MSc in biophysics and crystallography in 1982, he continued at the university for his doctoral studies to secure a PhD in biophysics in 1984. [1] His post-doctoral work was on protein crystallography at two institutions, the first at the Indian Institute of Science until 1992 and later, at the Ohio State University from 1995. Returning to India in 1998, he joined the Indian Institute of Science as a senior scientific officer of structural biology and bio-computing at its Bioinformatics Centre and has been serving the institute since then. During this period, he has held various positions including those of a principal research scientist (2004–10) and an associate professor of Computational and Data Sciences (CDS) department. He holds the position of a professor of CDS department since 2016 [2] and heads the Laboratory for Structural Biology and Bio-computing. [3]
Sekar's research in bioinformatics covered the fields of protein crystallography, crystallographic and internet computing as well as the development of value added knowledge bases and algorithms. [4] [5] His studies have been documented by way of a number of articles [6] [note 1] and Google Scholar, an online repository of scientific articles has listed 211 of them. [7] He has delivered keynote or plenary speeches at international seminars and conferences [8] [9] and has mentored many doctoral and post-doctoral scholars. [10] He is also a member of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr). [11]
Sekar has held the junior research fellowships of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (1984–88) as well as the University Grants Commission of India (1988–89) and the senior research fellowship of the CSIR (1989–92). [12] The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards in 2004. [13]
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in the southern Indian city of Bangalore, Karnataka. The institute was established in 1909 with active support from Jamsetji Tata and thus is also locally known as the "Tata Institute". It is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in India and has the highest citation-per-faculty among all the universities in the world. It was granted a deemed university status in 1958 and recognized as an Institute of Eminence in 2018. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) created a project called "SPEECH RECOGNITION IN AGRICULTURE AND FINANCE FOR THE POOR IN INDIA" that aims to create an AI voice assistant app that can speak in Indian local languages. This project was funded by the Bill andMelinda Gates foundation.
M. R. N. Murthy, was a professor of molecular biophysics at the Indian Institute of Science, IISc, Bangalore. He currently teaches at the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, Bengaluru. His chief contributions are in the area of X-ray crystallography. He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award for outstanding contribution to physical sciences, which is the highest honour for a scientist in India, in the year 1992.
Mamannamana Vijayan was an Indian structural biologist.
Avadhesha Surolia is a glycobiologist at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He was born in Kishangarh, Rajasthan, India. Presently, he is an honorary professor at the Molecular Biophysics Unit, IISc and holds the Bhatnagar fellowship of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He is known for his work on lectin structure and interactions, orientation and dynamics of cell surface carbohydrate receptors and protein folding, diabetes, antimalarials and anti-cancer agents based on curcumin, flavonoids, etc. In addition, neuropathic pain, neurodegenerative disorders and the link between immunity and obsessive–compulsive disorder are areas of his current interest
Narayanaswamy Srinivasan was an Indian molecular biophysicist and a professor and the head of Proteins: Structure, Function and Evolutionary Group at the Molecular Biophysics Unit of the Indian Institute of Science. He is known for his researches in the fields of computational genomics and protein structure analysis. An elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences, India, he is a J. C. Bose National fellow of the Department of Biotechnology and a recipient of the National Bioscience Award for Career Development of the Department of Science and Technology. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2007, for his contributions to biological sciences.
Balasubramanian Gopal is an Indian structural biologist, molecular biophysicist and a professor at the Molecular Biophysics Unit of the Indian Institute of Science. He is known for his studies on cell wall synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus and is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Academy of Sciences. He received the National Bioscience Award for Career Development of the Department of Biotechnology in 2010. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2015, for his contributions to biological sciences.
Kumaravel Somasundaram is an Indian cancer biologist and a professor at the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology of the Indian Institute of Science. Known for his studies on the therapeutics of Glioblastoma, Somasunderam is an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies namely, the National Academy of Sciences, India, the Indian Academy of Sciences and the Indian National Science Academy. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences in 2006.
Ramanathan Sowdhamini is an Indian computational biologist, bioinformatician and a professor at the department of biochemistry, biophysics and bioinformatics of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, a TIFR research facility located in Bengaluru. Known for computational studies in the field of Protein Science, Sowdhamini is also associated with the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine as a collaborator and is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences as well as the Indian National Science Academy. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded her the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for her contributions to biosciences in 2007.
Utpal Shashikant Tatu is an Indian molecular biologist, biochemist and a professor and Chairman of the department of biochemistry of the Indian Institute of Science. He is known for his research on infectious disease such as malaria and other neglected tropical diseases of global relevance. He is one of the first proponents of "One Health" concept to control infectious disease outbreaks. Tatu is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences in 2008. Tatu is a proponent of the One Health approach. The 'One Health' approach advocates designing and implementing strategies, policies and carrying out scientific research which involves collaboration between multiple sectors that will lead to major public health outcomes.
Ramasubbu Sankararamakrishnan is an Indian computational biologist, bioinformatician and a professor at the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is known for his computational studies on membrane protein function. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences in 2008.
Nagasuma Chandra is an Indian structural biologist, biochemist and a professor at the department of biochemistry of the Indian Institute of Science. She is known for her studies on Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded her the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for her contributions to biosciences in 2008.
Ashok M. Raichur is an Indian materials scientist, nanotechnologist and a professor at the Department of Materials Engineering of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Known for his studies on the use of nanotechnology for biomedical and environmental applications, Raichur is a former Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and a life member of the National Academy of Sciences, India. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences, in 2009.
Debasisa Mohanty is an Indian computational biologist, bioinformatician and a staff scientists at the National Institute of Immunology, India. Known for his studies on structure and function prediction of proteins, genome analysis and computer simulation of biomolecular systems, Mohanty is an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies namely the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy and the National Academy of Sciences, India. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences, in 2009.
Ponnuraj Karthe is an Indian structural biologist and a professor and the head of the Department of Crystallography and Biophysics of the University of Madras. He is known for his research in the fields of structural biology and drug designing. His studies have been documented by way of a number of articles and Google Scholar, an online repository of scientific articles has listed 46 of them. Besides, he has contributed chapters to books edited by others and has delivered invited speeches at many seminars which include the Workshop on Advances in Computer Aided Drug Design held in August 2010 at the University of Madras. He was a member of the national organizing committee of the Annual Conference of Indian Biophysical Society - Molecular Architecture, Dynamics and Assem, organized by Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics and serves as a member of the national committee of the International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB) as well as the executive council of the Bioinformatics and Drug Discovery Society (BIDDS), a non governmental organization promoting dissemination of knowledge in the fields of bioinformatics, biological sciences and other life sciences. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences, in 2010.
Patrick D'Silva is an Indian cell biologist, biochemist, and an associate professor at the Molecular Chaperone Lab of the Indian Institute of Science. He is known for his medical discoveries related to neurodegenerative diseases and cancer biology. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences, in 2014.
Kausik Chattopadhyay is an Indian structural biologist, protein biologist, and a professor at the Department of Biological Sciences. He was the Dean of R&D at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali until May 2021. He is known for his studies on the Pore-forming protein toxins and T-cell costimulatory molecules. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences, in 2014.
Ganesh Nagaraju is an Indian biochemist, geneticist, cancer biologist and a full professor at the Department of Biochemistry of the Indian Institute of Science. He has been studying DNA damage responses in mammalian cells, and mechanisms underlying chromosome instability genetic diseases and cancer. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, for his contributions to biosciences, in 2015. In 2018, Nagaraju received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in Biological Sciences from CSIR. This award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to Science and Technology, and is considered one of the highest awards for science in India.
Sanjib Senapati is an Indian biophysicist, biochemist, biotechnologist and a professor at the Bhupat and Jyoti Mehta School of Biosciences, Department of Biotechnology of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He is known for his studies in the fields of protein dynamics, green chemistry and nanoclusters and is a Fulbright scholar. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences, in 2015.
Amit Singh is an Indian microbiologist and an associate professor at the department of microbiology and cell biology of the Indian Institute of Science. A Wellcome-DBT Senior Fellow, Singh is known for his studies on the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development for 2017/18. He was awarded with the prestigious CSIR- Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award on 2021 for his phenomenal contributions in bio-scientific research. He received the 2021 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in Biological Science.
The School of Life Sciences, Kannur University hosts two departments, Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, which was established in 2000 for conducting master's degree (M.Sc) courses and research (Ph.D) in Biotechnology and Microbiology. An Inter University Centre for Bioscience was also established at the department by the Higher Education Department, Government of Kerala, to be a global center of excellence for research in biological sciences. Master's degree course in computational biology was introduced in 2020.