Prof. Umesh Varshney is a professor at IISc Bangalore and his group’s research focuses on mechanistic aspects of protein synthesis and DNA repair using E. coli and Mycobacteria as model systems. He completed his master’s degree at G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 1979. He moved to Canada to pursue his doctoral studies from University of Calgary in 1985 and post doctoral studies from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before moving back to India in 1991 as an assistant professor at IISc. He is a J. C. Bose National Fellow of the Department of Science and Technology, an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and a recipient of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 2001 by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. In addition, he has also received G. N. Ramachandran Gold Medal for Excellence in Biological Sciences & Technology for his contributions to biological sciences in 2014.
As part of the Forerunner series of Sci-ROI@Blogs, Sci-ROI Global Volunteers Sreesha Sudhakar and Rohit Vaidya talk to Prof. Varshney about his research journey in the field of molecular biology, the rewarding experiences and challenging moments, his perspective on Indian research and his advice to early career researchers.
