Padma award increases my responsibilities: IISERT director

Tirupati: "Of all other accolades I receive as a scientist, I am so privileged and fortunate to be recognised with the Padma award.

It also puts more responsibilities on me in future to achieve greater things," said an elated first and founder Director of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati Prof Ganesh Nagappa Krishnarajanagara who was conferred with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India this year. He has been heading the institute first as a mentor director since 2015 and became full time director in November 2017.

Prof Ganesh had also the rare distinction of being the first and founder-director of IISER, Pune as well, one of the first two institutes of national importance established for promoting science education and research along with Kolkata in 2006.

The 69-year-old Prof Ganesh was born in Mysore and graduated in Chemistry from Bangalore University and obtained his PhD also in Chemistry from University of Delhi. When The Hans India asked about his future goals, he said that he wants to go more into public service and interact with the community and with this award others may value him more when he interacts with them or teaches them.

He is internationally recognised for his original and creative contributions to the design of Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) analogues for effective cell permeation.

"Though I am passionate about my own research which gives me more satisfaction, as a director, administration, it became my primary task and managing both of these is really crucial.

I have been working in various government committees as a scientist. Yet, I need to run the institute which I have been heading smoothly fulfilling all the tasks," he maintained.

Prof Ganesh got another PhD from Cambridge, UK, and joined the CCMB in Hyderabad where he established India's first DNA synthesis facility, initiating a vigorous research programme to discover new motifs of DNA-protein interactions and PCR based diagnostics for then prevalent HIV. Before going to Pune, he headed the Organic Chemistry division of National Chemical Laboratory.

As a reputed researcher, he also focused on therapeutic and diagnostic applications of DNA nanotechnology and has more than 170 publications in reputed international journals, two international patents and so far guided 45 students for their doctoral degrees. He is also a Fellow of all the three science academies in India and also a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).

Meanwhile, the entire IISER Tirupati family led by its registrar Dr C P Mohan Kumar felicitated Prof Ganesh on his achievement. The award will be presented to him by the President of India at a ceremonial function in New Delhi later during the year.