Two University of Hyderabad professors elected as fellows of UK’s Royal Society of Biology

NEW DELHI: Two professors from the University of Hyderabad have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB), United Kingdom (UK) for their contribution to research in biology. Professor A S Raghavendra and Professor P Prakash Babu have been elected. Raghavendra is currently an Institution of Eminence (IoE) research chair professor in the School of Life Sciences and Babu is a senior professor in the Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, at UoH.

Professor Raghavendra has been with the Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences since 1985. He has been a fellow of all the science academies in India (INSA, NASI, IASc and NAAS) besides being a fellow of TWAS.

Also Read | Initiate Post Doctoral Fellowship for OBCs, increase national fellowship slots: OBC students’ association

He had been bestowed with several national and international Awards, including the INSA-Young Scientist Medal, DFG-Mercator Visiting Professor and Corresponding Member of American Society of Plant Biology. Professor Raghavendra's research interests are photosynthetic carbon assimilation, mitochondria-chloroplasts’ interaction and signal transduction in stomatal guard cells.

Professor Babu’s research group has been working in the area of Brain diseases in collaboration with neuro clinicians. His main research interests are Neurodegenerative diseases, Cerebral Ischemia (Stroke), Cerebral Malaria, Glioma, and Meningioma (Brain tumours). He has been and is associated with various neuroscience societies in different capacities and in the pharma and biotech companies. He is a member of decision making bodies of various universities and institutes.

Also Read | BHU faculty member selected for Fulbright-Nehru postdoctoral fellowship

The professor is a Fellow, Science and Technology (STA), Japan, National Academy of Biological Sciences, Chennai; Fellow, A P Akademy of Sciences; Fellow, Indian Academy of Neurosciences and a General Secretary, Society for Neurochemistry, India (SNCI). He served earlier as a Secretary, Asia Pacific Society for Neurochemistry (APSN), Singapore; Secretary General, Federation of Asian Biotech Association; Vice-President, Indian Society for Parasitology.

The fellowship is the highest level of membership in RSB and is bestowed in recognition of one’s scientific contribution to research in biology. Fellows of RSB are those who achieved distinction in the fields of biological research, teaching or application in Biology.