Chandrabhas Narayana is new director of RGCB

Thiruvananthapuram: The central government has appointed prof Chandrabhas Narayana, who is now dean (research and development) at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, as the director of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), the country’s leading molecular biology and biotech research and development institute here.

A highly accomplished scientist and an inter-disciplinary research leader, Narayana succeeds prof M Radhakishna Pillai, who retired as the RGCB’s director in August, after holding the post for over 15 years.

The appointment, approved by the appointments committee of the Union Cabinet, is for five years. Narayana, who specializes in Raman Spectroscopy, has also served as professor of Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit and dean, fellowships and extension programmes at JNCASR. He holds three international patents.

An autonomous national institution of department of biotechnology, ministry of science and technology, Government of India, RGCB’s four major mandates consist of discovery research in disease biology, translational sciences, technology development and training and education.

Born in Bengaluru to Keralite parents, prof Narayana earned his PhD from department of physics, Indian Institute of Science, after completion of his bachelor’s and master’s in science from Regional Institute of Education, Mysuru. Before joining as a faculty member at JNCASR, he did his post-doctoral research at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Though a trained condensed-matter physicist, prof Narayana developed a keen interest in biology soon after joining JNCASR. Subsequently, his group pioneered in the use of Raman Spectroscopy in drug-protein interaction for drug-screening applications and diagnostic applications.

Prof Narayana has been recipient of several coveted honours, including Material Research Society of India’s bronze medal, Sir CV Raman Young Scientist Award (Karnataka government) and CNR Rao Oration award. He has published over 175 research papers in international journals.