Krishnaswamy Vijayraghavan | |
|---|---|
 Vijayraghavan in December 2017 | |
| 3rdPrincipal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India | |
| In office April 2018 – 2 April 2022 | |
| President | Ram Nath Kovind |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Rajagopala Chidambaram |
| Succeeded by | Ajay K. Sood |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1954-02-03)3 February 1954 (age 71) |
| Nationality | India |
| Scientific career | |
| Alma mater | Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur,Tata Institute of Fundamental Research |
| Awards | Padma Shri Fellow of the Royal Society Infosys Prize Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar PrizeForeign Associate, US National Academy of Sciences. |
| Fields | Genetics Neurogenetics |
| Institutions | The National Centre for Biological Sciences |
Krishnaswamy Vijayraghavan (born 3 February 1954) is an emeritus professor and former director of theNational Centre for Biological Sciences.[1] On 26 March 2018, theGovernment of India appointed him as thePrincipal Scientific Adviser to succeed Dr.R Chidamabaram. His term as Principal Scientific Adviser ended on 2 April 2022. In 2012, he was elected afellow of The Royal Society and in April 2014 he was elected as a foreign associate of theUS National Academy of Sciences.[2] He was conferred thePadma Shri on 26 January 2013 and is also a recipient of theInfosys Prize in the life sciences category in 2009.[3][4]
Vijayraghavan graduated with aBachelor of Technology degree inchemical engineering fromIIT Kanpur in 1975 and a master's in 1977. He completed his doctoral research in 1983 in the field of molecular biology and holds aPh.D. from theTata Institute of Fundamental Research. During his post-doctoral work, from 1984 to 1985, he was aresearch fellow and then, from 1986 to 1988, a senior research fellow at theCalifornia Institute of Technology.[5]
In 1988, he joined theTata Institute of Fundamental Research as a Reader and in 1992, when theNational Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), which is under the aegis of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was founded, joined NCBS. In August 1991, he moved to Bangalore and was instrumental in the establishment of NCBS in Bangalore.[6] He is an emeritus professor in the field of developmental genetics and former director of the National Centre of Biological Sciences.
His fields of specialization aredevelopmental biology,genetics andneurogenetics. His research primarily focuses on the important principles and mechanisms that control the nervous system and muscles during development and how these neuromuscular systems direct specific locomotor behaviours. This was achieved by using the fruit flyDrosophila melanogaster as a model system. By patterning the segmental organization of the fly body plan, his research was able to shed more light on the functions of Hox genes in directing neuromuscular connectivity and motor behaviours.
Vijayraghavan is a member of the board of governors of theOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology,[7] and a senior editor of the journaleLife.[8] Vijayraghavan was the secretary[9] ofDepartment of Biotechnology (DBT), India, from January 2013 replacingMaharaj Kishan Bhan. to February 2018.[10]
Vijayraghavan led a 9-member committee, under thePrime Minister's Office, to advise on reforms for the DRDO, and the committee submitted its report in January 2024.[11]
In 1997, he was elected fellow of theIndian Academy of Sciences.[12]
In 1998,Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology award by theCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research.[13] In 1999, he became an honorary faculty member of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced ScientificResearch. In the same year, he became a fellow of theIndian National Science Academy. He became a member of the editorial board ofJournal of Genetics in the year 2000 and a member of the Asia-Pacific International Molecular Biology Network inthe year 2001.[14]
In 2003, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award ofIIT Kanpur.[15]
In 2006, he was awarded theJ. C. Bose Fellowship.[16]
In 2010, he was elected fellow ofTWAS, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World.[17]
In 2012, he received theH. K. Firodia Award "for his original contributions to the field of life sciences, particularly to developmental biology, genetics and neurogenetics."[18]In the same year he became Fellow of Royal Society.
In 2013, he was conferred the Padma Shri by the President of India.[19]
In April 2014, he was elected[20] a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences.
In March 2018, he was appointed[21] asPrincipal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
In 2021 he was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Society.[22]
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