Read More
The Dr B.R. Ambedkar Centenary Award for excellence in biomedical research
was instituted in the year 1991-92 as part of the Dr Ambedkar Birth Centenary
Celebrations. It is awarded to a scientist for excellence in any field of biomedical
research.
The award for the year 2011 is being jointly presented to Dr Seyed E. Hasnain,
Professor, Kusuma School of Biological Technology, Indian Institute of Technology,
Delhi, New Delhi.
Professor Hasnain is a scientist, institution builder, policy maker and an
administrator. Recognized internationally for his outstanding accomplishments
in biomedical sciences notably for his contributions to molecular infection biology
and epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the TB causing bacterium. Prof
Hasnain has 250 publications in peer-reviewed journals of high impact, and over
dozen patents to his credit. He has mentored -100 PhD, MD and Post Doctoral
students. In recognitions of his contributions to TB, the Robert Koch Institute,
Berlin, selected him as a Robert Koch Fellow (2008). The Alexander-von-Humboldt
Foundation in Germany conferred on him Humboldt Research Prize (2008). The
Queens University, Belfast, UK conferred on Prof. Hasnain the Honorary Doctorate
of Medical Sciences (2011). The German National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina
elected him as a Member. Upon his return to India in 1987, Prof. Hasnain joined
the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi and in 1999 moved to Centre for
DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad as its first Director. In 2005, he was
invited as the Vice Chancellor of University of Hyderabad (UoH) and during his
tenure, UoH was established as the top ranking University of India.
A recipient of Padma Shri, Prof. Hasnain also received Germany's Highest
Civilian Award - The Order of Merit (Das Verdienstkreuz, 1.Klasse). The prestigious
American Academy of Microbiology, USA recently elected him as a Fellow. Recipient
of many prestigious national awards, e.g. G.D. Birla Award, CSIR's Shanti Swarup
Bhatnagar Prize, Ranbaxy Research Award, Goyal Award, FICCI Award, JC Bose
National Fellowship, etc. , he is a Fellow of TWAS (Trieste, Italy) and all the major
Science Academies of India and was a Member (2004-2014) of the Science Advisory
Council to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM) and Scientific Advisory Committee to the
Union Cabinet.