WEB DESK
Dr Bushra Ateeq, an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has been honoured with India’s highest science award Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award 2020 for her contribution to the field of Medical Sciences.
She completed her PhD in Zoology from AMU (1998 – 2003) under the supervision of Prof Wasim Ahmad Faridi.
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and Physics.
She is among 12 scientists to be honoured. The award was announced on 26 September during the foundation day of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Dr Ateeq is currently associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. She has won the award in the category for Medical Sciences. Dr Ritesh Agarwal from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, is another scientist to win the award in this category.
Cancer biomarkers, molecular events
Dr Ateeq’s research focuses on cancer biomarkers and molecular events that lead to progression in prostate and breast cancer. Dr Agarwal is a professor of pulmonary medicine and his main research area is a fungal infection called Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.
She pursued her B.Sc (hons), M.Sc and Ph.D from Depertment of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University.
Dr Ateeq has been congratulated by several individuals and groups. Those who expressed their appreciation for her include the Alig Fraternity.
The Alig Fraternity said that it is proud of her acheivement and wishes her all the best for her future endeavours.
Outstanding contributions in science and technology
The award is named after the founder Director of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) India, the late Dr Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. The prize is given each year for outstanding contributions in science and technology.
As an Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemical Sciences and Bioengineering, IIT, Kanpur; Dr Bushra has been working on cancer biomarkers and molecular events that lead to progression in prostate and breast cancer. Dr Bushra was chosen for the CNR Rao Faculty Award 2018 for her work in establishing the role of specific microRNAs in regulating the levels of SPINK1, a protein found in elevated levels in prostate cancer patients.
“AMU community stands proud of Dr Bushra for her conspicuously important and outstanding contribution to human knowledge and progress in her specialisation area,” said AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof Tariq Mansoor.
Other who were choosen for prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards are:-
In the area of Biological Sciences, the coveted award has been bagged by Subhadeep Chatterjee from the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad and Vatsala Thirumalai from the National Centre for Biological Sciences.
Jyotirmayee Dash, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata and Subi Jacob George, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru have bagged the award in the area of Chemical Sciences.
In the area of Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, Abhijit Mukherjee from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and Suryendu Dutta from IIT, Bombay have bagged the coveted prize.
In the field of Engineering Sciences, Amol Arvindrao Kulkarni from the CSIR”s National Chemical Laboratory, Pune and Kinshuk Dasgupta from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai have bagged the award.
Rajat Subhra Hazra from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata and U K Anandavardhanan from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay have awarded the prize in the area of Mathematical Sciences, while Bushra Ateeq from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and Ritesh Agarwal from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh were awarded in the area of Medical Sciences.
In the field of Physical Sciences, Rajesh Ganapathy from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru and Surajit Dhara from the University of Hyderabad have been conferred with the award.
The prestigious CSIR Diamond Jubilee Technology Award for the year 2019 has been conferred on Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL), Pune, a statement said.
The CSIR said Avra Laboratories, a leading pharmaceutical company on Saturday announced that it would establish three research chairs at CSIR to support and recognise exemplary work in the field of translational research.
The chairs will provide a three-year fellowship to selected scientists to recognize and advance their efforts, the statement added.
S Chandrasekhar, director, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and Amol A Kulkarni, senior principal scientist, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory have been awarded the fellowship for the period 2020-2023.