Drug Discovery Research Advisor Former CSO, Jubilant Biosys
Dr. V.N. Balaji is a leader in Molecular discovery, with over three
decades of pioneering contributions to pharmaceutical research. His
expertise lies in orchestrating successful research programs that drive
the development of patented molecular entities. With a track record
spanning Lederle Laboratories, Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Immunol
Pharmaceuticals, Monsanto, and co-founding Jubilant Biosys in 2001.
Dr. Balaji has been instrumental in establishing state-of-the-art drug
discovery. laboratories and promoting international collaborations. His
adept coordination across diverse disciplines like Bioinformatics,
Computational Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Structural Chemistry,
Medicinal Chemistry, and Pharmacology has consistently led to
knowledge-driven molecular discoveries.
Dr. Balaji earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics from the Indian
Institute of Science and pursued his Postdoctoral Training in Molecular
Design at the Chemistry Department of Rutgers University. Dr. Balaji has
cultivated expertise in Computational Bioscience, Data Science, and
Artificial Intelligence. His achievements include co-authoring 45
publications and co-inventing 25 international patents.
Prof. Tej P. Singh
SERB Distinguished Fellow All India Institute of Medical Science
Prof.T.P. Singh is a well-known Biophysicist of India. Currently, he works as a DST-
SERB distinguished Fellow at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
He is also an Honorary Distinguished Professor of the University of Mysore and an
Honorary Visiting Professor of the DST-Institute of Nano Science and Technology,
Mohali. He also holds the G.N. Ramachandran Chair Professorship of the SRM
University, Chennai and the G.N. Ramachandran Chair Professorship of the
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.
He obtained his M.Sc. degree from the University of Allahabad in 1971 and Ph.D.
from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1976. He was a Post-Doctoral
Fellow at the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Munich during 1978-80. He
received a D.Sc. (hc) degree from the Karnataka State Open University, Mysore in
2010.
He has made substantial contributions in the fields of X-ray Crystallography,
Structural Biology, Protein Structure Determination, Peptide Design and Drug
Discovery. His current focus is on the structure and function studies of innate
immunity proteins and their therapeutic applications. He has published more than
450 research articles and contributed more than 620 protein structures in the protein
data bank (PDB).
Currently, he is President of the Chemical Biology Society of India (CBSI),
Previously, he was President of the Indian Biophysical Society (IBS), Indian
Crystallographic Association (ICA), Biotech Research Society of India (BRSI),
Bioinformatics and Drug Discovery Society of India (BIDDS) and Vice-President of
the Indian National Science Academy (INSA)
He is a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Indian National
Science Academy (FNA), the Indian Academy of Sciences (FASc), the National
Academy of Sciences (FNASc) and the Biotech Research Society (FBRS).
He received the SASTRA-G.N. Ramachandran Award for Excellence in Science in
2020, Professor G.N. Ramachandran Award of the Kerala State Council of Science,
Technology and Environment in 2017, Professor G.N. Ramachandran award of the
Society of Biological Chemists of India in 2015, Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary
Award of INSA in 2011, Professor G.N. Ramachandran CSIR Gold Medal for
Excellence in Biological Sciences and Technology in 2006, Professor G.N.
Ramachandran 60th Birthday Commemoration INSA Medal in 2006 and Sir J.C.
Bose Award of Indian Science Congress in 2006.
Dr. T.S. Sudarshan
President and CEO Materials Modification Inc
Dr.T.S. SUDARSHAN (Suds) is currently the President and CEO of Materials
Modification, Inc. He received his B.Tech. in Metallurgy from the Indian Institute of
Technology in Madras, India, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Engineering
Science from Virginia Tech. He worked with Ashok Leyland in the Truck and Bus
division as a Senior Metallurgist and later as the Director of R and D at Synergistic
Technologies Richmond, Va. For the past 38 years he has been responsible for the
management and technical development of innovative materials, processes, and
techniques and the development of new technologies related to surface engineering
and nanotechnology.
He has been active in various committees throughout his career and is currently the
Chair of the ASM-IIM lectureship committee. He also chaired the Surface
Engineering Critical Technology sector and has been a member of IMR, JMEP, AMP
and numerous Awards committees and has also served as a Trustee of ASM
International. Dr. Sudarshan has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors,
including the Design News Award and R&D 100 for the microwave plasma
technique” Nanogen” and for the Plasma Pressure Compaction technique and the
Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer award from SME. He has served on
numerous committees for decades of the National Science Foundation, National
Institutes of Health, U.S. Army, Michigan Economic Development Council,
Department of Energy, National Research Council, Ohio Third Frontier and ASM
International–The Materials Information Society. He has also served on the technical
advisory boards of numerous companies over the last two decades.
Dr. Sudarshan is also the editor of two journals Materials and Manufacturing
Processes for 36 years and Surface Engineering for more than 27 years and
Materials Technology for 4 years. He is a Fellow of ASM International, Fellow of
International Federation for Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering and Fellow of
Institute of Mining, Metals and Materials, UK and Distinguished Alumnus of IITM and
was a member of the National Materials Advisory Board and has served on
numerous NRC committees. He is the coauthor of 185 publications and co-editor of
36 books including 30 books on surface modification technologies and holder of over
37 patents, developed 18 products and has given over 60 plenary and keynote
lectures throughout the world and taught numerous courses in several countries.
Dr. T. Madhan Mohan
Former Senior Advisor Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India
Dr. T. Madhan Mohan received his Doctorate from IIT, Delhi, in Biomedical
Engineering and obtained Bioinformatics and Computational Biology research
training at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
(ICGEB), Trieste, Italy.
Dr. Madhan Mohan had been instrumental in establishment of a major distributed
bioinformatics network across the country. Towards this Dr. S.K. Mitra Birth
Centenary National Award (2011), ISCA’s prestigious award had been conferred with
Gold Medal to him by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India during the 98th Indian
Science Congress for his key role played in the development of Science and
Technology –Specifically in the areas of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. He is not
only an institution builder in these areas but has also shaped the way these areas of
Science & Technology should develop in the future. He is an elected fellow of the
Indian Association of Biomedical Scientists (FIBMS) and Life member of Indian
Science Congress Association (ISCA).
Dr. Madhan Mohan has also developed the Northeast Region of India with the
creation of multifaceted proactive Biotechnology growth and developments for the
benefit of the region.
Prof. B. Suresh
Pro Chancellor, JSS AHER, Mysuru Former President, PCI, New Delhi
Prof.Suresh Bhojraj has been serving as the Pro-Chancellor at JSS Academy of
Higher Education and Research, Mysuru, since June 2019, marking another
significant milestone in his illustrious career. As the founding Vice Chancellor of JSS
AHER from 2008 to 2011, Dr. Bhojraj played a pivotal role in shaping the institution,
employing his vast experience and innovative strategies to position the university as
a leader both nationally and internationally. Under his leadership, the university
quickly ascended in prominence, securing the 34 th rank nationally by the NIRF in
2019, and achieving top rankings in various other respected evaluations.
His tenure at the Pharmacy Council of India is equally noteworthy, where he was
re-elected President multiple times, evidences his enduring influence and leadership
in the pharmacy education and profession in India. Dr. Bhojraj's advocacy for
advanced pharmacy practices, including the introduction of postgraduate
programmes like “Pharmacy Practice” and “Pharm D”, has been transformative.
Internationally, Dr. Bhojraj serves as a delegate member of the United States
Pharmacopeia Convention and holds positions with several prestigious international
pharmacy and science organizations. His efforts have significantly influenced
pharmaceutical education and practice worldwide, earning him numerous awards
and honors, including the FAPA Ishidate Award and the title of Doctor of Science
(D.Sc.,) Honoris Causa by The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, Chennai in
2007.
Dr. Bhojraj’s contributions extend beyond academia into influential roles on various
national and international statutory committees, where his expertise continues to
drive significant advancements in pharmacy education and public health initiatives.
He continues to provide his leadership role in his multifaceted career by serving on
several national and International statutory committees, viz. Drug Technical Advisory
Board, National Board of accreditation, national committee for Clinical
establishments and committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on
Animals (CPSEA).
He is fondly liked by all his colleagues for his humane approach and his excellent
team leadership.
Prof. Sourav Pal
Professor and Head of Chemistry, Ashoka University, Former Director of CSIR- (NCL)
Prof.Sourav Pal, currently serving as the Professor and Head of Chemistry at
Ashoka University since October 12, 2022, brings a distinguished and extensive
background in chemical sciences and academic leadership. Before his current role,
he was the Director of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research
(IISER), Kolkata, and previously directed the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory
(NCL), Pune, where he spent nearly 33 years and founded the Electronic Structure
Theory Group. His academic journey began with a five-year integrated master's
degree in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, followed by
a Ph.D. from the University of Calcutta. Further honing his expertise, he was a
postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida and an Alexander von Humboldt
Fellow in Germany.
Professor Pal is internationally recognized for his theoretical contributions to
electronic structure theory, specifically the development of rigorous ab initio coupled-
cluster theory for molecular electronic structure. His research spans several critical
areas including density-based chemical reactivity and computational material
science, focusing on catalytic and hydrogen storage materials. His scholarly output
includes over 300 peer-reviewed publications, the guidance of more than 45 Ph.D.
students, and authorship of the book "Mathematics in Chemistry.
In recognition of his contributions to science, Professor Pal has received numerous
prestigious awards such as the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Chemical
Sciences in 2000 and the SASTRA-CNR Rao Award in Chemistry & Materials
Science in 2014. He is a Fellow of several esteemed institutions including the Royal
Society of Chemistry and the Indian National Science Academy.
His roles in academic administration and leadership are highlighted by his
presidency of the Chemical Research Society of India and his ongoing contributions
to several national and international scientific committees and boards.
