Scientist Radha Rangarajan, Second Woman To Become Director of CSIR

Renowned scientist Radha Rangarajan is appointed as the new director of CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, on 5 September. Rangarajan is the second woman to occupy the post since the inception of the institute in 1951. 

She has been actively involved in translational research and product development in the public health spectrum. She has a career of two decades working closely at the interface between academia, startups, and industry. Rangarajan's experiences span the drug discovery, diagnostics, and medical devices sectors.

Since February, the post has been lying vacant. The director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu Prof D. Srinivasa Reddy, managed the post. Reddy was given the additional charge after the then director Prof Tapas Kundu superannuated. Reddy remarked that Dr. Rangarajan will be an asset to the institute, which works for affordable healthcare for all. 

CDRI spokesperson Sanjeev Yadav stated in a report that Rangarajan served in multiple roles, successfully developing early-stage molecules for various therapeutic areas such as anti-infectives, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Between 2003 and 2009, Rangarajan served in the Drug Discovery division of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in Hyderabad. Later, she co-founded Vitas Pharma, a drug discovery and development company focused on novel therapies to treat an infection.

Radha Rangarajan New Director of CSIR, Other Positions

The scientist is associated with several committees and councils. She is a member of the steering council of the MedTech Incubator, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H). A member of the Selection Committee of the NIDHI-Seed Support System at the Atal Incubation Centre-CCMB and on the selection committee for DST INSPIRE Faculty Fellows.

Suggested Reading-  Why Has Liz Truss Replaced Boris Johnson As UK’s Prime Minister?

CSIR- Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI) is a drug research institute in India. It was established on 17 February 1951 by the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru. Former PM Nehru's vision was to strengthen and advance the field of drug research and development in the country. Earlier, Dr. Madhu Dikshit was the first woman director of the institute between 2015 and 2017.