Manchanahalli Rangaswamy Satyanarayana Rao
Encyclopedia
Manchanahalli Rangaswamy Satyanarayana Rao (M.R.S. Rao) is an eminent Indian scientist, born on January 21, 1948 at Mysore, India. He has been awarded Padma Shri
in Science and Engineering category (year 2010) by the Government of India
. He is the President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore
, India
.
. He received his Ph.D.
in biochemistry
from Indian Institute of Science
(IISc), Bangalore
in 1973. Govindarajan Padmanabhan
(Former Director, IISc) was his doctoral advisor at Department of Biochemistry. He did his postdoctoral research at Baylor College of Medicine
, Houston, Texas
, USA, (1974–76) and was as assistant professor at the same institution. He decided to come back to India
and joined Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science
(IISc).
At present, he is President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore
and actively running Chromatin
Biology
laboratory. He has been credited as first scientist
to initiate Chromatin
Biology research in India
. In more than 30 years of active research career, his lab at IISc and JNCASR
, has mentored more than 35 Ph.D.
students, dozens of Postdoctoral fellows and hundreds of research trainees.
Rao is married to Padma S. Rao and the couple has 2 sons, M.S. Sharat and M.S. Rohan, both engineers by profession. The happy family lives in Bangalore
.
, USA, he returned to India
in 1978 and joined the Department of Biochemistry, IISc as Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1987 and Professor
in 1991. He was the Chairman of Centre for Genetic Engineering, IISc between 1990-93. For several occasions, he served as visiting professor to Baylor College of Medicine
, Harvard Medical School
, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
and University of California at San Diego, USA.
In 2003, he accepted the chair of President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bangalore
. He was the Chairperson of Department of Biochemistry, IISc (1998–2003) and Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit (MBGU, JNCASR) between 2005-09. He has served as President of Society of Biological Chemists (India) for two terms between 2000-04. M.R.S. Rao has been associated as a governing body member or as a scientific advisor to several research institutes in India. He is the Ex-Chairman of Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
.
He has served as chairperson or expert member of several scientific councils such as Department of Science and Technology (India)
, Department of Biotechnology
(DBT), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR); Science academies such as Indian Academy of Sciences
(IAS), National Academy of Sciences, India
(NASI), Indian National Science Academy
(INSA), Third World Academy of Sciences
(TWAS) and science policy making committees in Government of India
organizations, Institutions and Universities in India. He is also active member of Third World Academy of Sciences
(TWAS) activities. He is the chairperson of Task Force on Human Genetics & Genome Analysis of Department of Biotechnology
, (DBT) India. He is member of Governing body of Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), Bangalore. He is also serving as member of academic council of Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, Bangalore.
Rao has been apponited as a member in the newly constituted National Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) which will support innovation, research and development in various sciences in India.
He is on the editorial board of several high repute peer reviewed journals and recently has joined as senior member on the editorial board of American Journal of Cancer Research (AJCR).
biology and Cancer
biology.
Rao has an h-index
of above 26 (as per June, 2011) and it's still in logarithmic phase and heading up continuously. One of his publication over colon cancer, published in Cell (journal)
has extensive citations of more than 2000 so far.
award (year 2010) by Government of India
for his immense contribution in Science and Engineering to the country. He has received coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (Year 1988) from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Centenary Award from Indian Council of Medical Research
(2005), Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Lecture award of Indian National Science Academy
(INSA), FICCI
Award, J. C. Bose Medal of INSA, Rockefeller Foundation
Biotechnology Fellowship, Om Prakash Bhasin Award, Third World Academy of Sciences
(TWAS) Medal Lecture Award 2008, Ranbaxy Science Foundation Award for Basic Medical Sciences and Sir M. Visveswaraiah Senior Scientist State award by Government of Karnataka
. He has been awarded with Prof. N. Appaji Rao Best Mentor Award -2011, an award instituted by Indian Institute of Science Alumni Association (IIScAA), Bangalore.
He is fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences
(IAS), Bangalore; Indian National Science Academy
(INSA), Delhi; National Academy of Sciences, India
(NASI), Allahabad
; National Academy of Medical Sciences (FAMS), India; Third World Academy of Science (TWAS), Triesty, Italy; American Society for Cell Biology, American Society for Microbiology
, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
and Human Genome Organization award.
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in Science and Engineering category (year 2010) by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. He is the President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Education and personal life
Prof. Rao obtained his bachelors degree (B.Sc.) in 1966 and Masters degree (M.Sc.) in 1968 from Bangalore UniversityBangalore University
Bangalore University is a public university located in Bangalore, Karnataka State, India. The university is one of the oldest in India, dating back to 1886...
. He received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
from Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
(IISc), Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
in 1973. Govindarajan Padmanabhan
Govindarajan Padmanabhan
Govindarajan Padmanaban is a renowned biochemist and a pioneer in Indian biotechnology. He was former director of the Indian Institute of Science and presently serving as honorary professor in the department of biochemistry, IISc.-Early life and education:Padmanaban was brought up in a family of...
(Former Director, IISc) was his doctoral advisor at Department of Biochemistry. He did his postdoctoral research at Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
, Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA, (1974–76) and was as assistant professor at the same institution. He decided to come back to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and joined Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
(IISc).
At present, he is President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
and actively running Chromatin
Chromatin
Chromatin is the combination of DNA and proteins that make up the contents of the nucleus of a cell. The primary functions of chromatin are; to package DNA into a smaller volume to fit in the cell, to strengthen the DNA to allow mitosis and meiosis and prevent DNA damage, and to control gene...
Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
laboratory. He has been credited as first scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
to initiate Chromatin
Chromatin
Chromatin is the combination of DNA and proteins that make up the contents of the nucleus of a cell. The primary functions of chromatin are; to package DNA into a smaller volume to fit in the cell, to strengthen the DNA to allow mitosis and meiosis and prevent DNA damage, and to control gene...
Biology research in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. In more than 30 years of active research career, his lab at IISc and JNCASR
JNCASR
The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research is a relatively young but already well-known multidisciplinary research institute. It was established by the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, to mark the birth centenary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It is...
, has mentored more than 35 Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
students, dozens of Postdoctoral fellows and hundreds of research trainees.
Rao is married to Padma S. Rao and the couple has 2 sons, M.S. Sharat and M.S. Rohan, both engineers by profession. The happy family lives in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
.
Professional life
After having his postdoctoral research and short stint of assistant professorship at Baylor College of MedicineBaylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
, USA, he returned to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1978 and joined the Department of Biochemistry, IISc as Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1987 and Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in 1991. He was the Chairman of Centre for Genetic Engineering, IISc between 1990-93. For several occasions, he served as visiting professor to Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
, Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd is a global non-profit medical research institute that undertakes laboratory and clinical research into cancer, conducting and sponsoring its own early-phase clinical trials to investigate its discoveries....
and University of California at San Diego, USA.
In 2003, he accepted the chair of President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. He was the Chairperson of Department of Biochemistry, IISc (1998–2003) and Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit (MBGU, JNCASR) between 2005-09. He has served as President of Society of Biological Chemists (India) for two terms between 2000-04. M.R.S. Rao has been associated as a governing body member or as a scientific advisor to several research institutes in India. He is the Ex-Chairman of Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
.
He has served as chairperson or expert member of several scientific councils such as Department of Science and Technology (India)
Department of Science and Technology (India)
The Department of Science and Technology is a department within the Ministry of Science and Technology in India. It was established in May 1971, with the objective of promoting new areas of Science and Technology and to play the role of a nodal department for organising, coordinating and promoting...
, Department of Biotechnology
Department of Biotechnology
The Department of Biotechnology is an Indian government department, under the Ministry of Science and Technology responsible for administrating development in the field of modern biology and biotechnology in India...
(DBT), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Council of Medical Research
Indian council of medical research
The Indian Council of Medical Research , New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world.-History:...
(ICMR); Science academies such as Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences
The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Sir C. V. Raman, and was registered as a Society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meeting of Fellows, held on the same day, elected Professor Raman as President, and adopted...
(IAS), National Academy of Sciences, India
National Academy of Sciences, India
The National Academy of Sciences, India is the oldest Science Academy in India. It is located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh...
(NASI), Indian National Science Academy
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy , New Delhi is the apex body of Indian scientists representing all branches of science & technology.-History:...
(INSA), Third World Academy of Sciences
Third World Academy of Sciences
TWAS, until 2004 named Third World Academy of Sciences and now TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, is a merit-based science academy uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in...
(TWAS) and science policy making committees in Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
organizations, Institutions and Universities in India. He is also active member of Third World Academy of Sciences
Third World Academy of Sciences
TWAS, until 2004 named Third World Academy of Sciences and now TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, is a merit-based science academy uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in...
(TWAS) activities. He is the chairperson of Task Force on Human Genetics & Genome Analysis of Department of Biotechnology
Department of Biotechnology
The Department of Biotechnology is an Indian government department, under the Ministry of Science and Technology responsible for administrating development in the field of modern biology and biotechnology in India...
, (DBT) India. He is member of Governing body of Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), Bangalore. He is also serving as member of academic council of Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, Bangalore.
Rao has been apponited as a member in the newly constituted National Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) which will support innovation, research and development in various sciences in India.
He is on the editorial board of several high repute peer reviewed journals and recently has joined as senior member on the editorial board of American Journal of Cancer Research (AJCR).
Publications
Rao is a prolific scientific researcher and author of hundreds of peer reviewed international journal articles. Several research articles have been cited extensively throughout the world scientific community. Most of his research work has been focused on ChromatinChromatin
Chromatin is the combination of DNA and proteins that make up the contents of the nucleus of a cell. The primary functions of chromatin are; to package DNA into a smaller volume to fit in the cell, to strengthen the DNA to allow mitosis and meiosis and prevent DNA damage, and to control gene...
biology and Cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
biology.
Rao has an h-index
H-index
The h-index is an index that attempts to measure both the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar. The index is based on the set of the scientist's most cited papers and the number of citations that they have received in other publications...
of above 26 (as per June, 2011) and it's still in logarithmic phase and heading up continuously. One of his publication over colon cancer, published in Cell (journal)
Cell (journal)
Cell is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research papers across a broad range of disciplines within the life sciences. Areas covered include molecular biology, cell biology, systems biology, stem cells, developmental biology, genetics and genomics, proteomics, cancer research,...
has extensive citations of more than 2000 so far.
Awards and recognitions
Rao has received several medals, awards and fellowships both in India and overseas. He has been awarded the Padma ShriPadma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
award (year 2010) by Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
for his immense contribution in Science and Engineering to the country. He has received coveted Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (Year 1988) from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Centenary Award from Indian Council of Medical Research
Indian council of medical research
The Indian Council of Medical Research , New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world.-History:...
(2005), Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Lecture award of Indian National Science Academy
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy , New Delhi is the apex body of Indian scientists representing all branches of science & technology.-History:...
(INSA), FICCI
FICCI
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry is an association of business organizations in India, headquartered in the national capital New Delhi. FICCI is one of the main organizations to fund and support many governmental and non-governmental educational institutes...
Award, J. C. Bose Medal of INSA, Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
Biotechnology Fellowship, Om Prakash Bhasin Award, Third World Academy of Sciences
Third World Academy of Sciences
TWAS, until 2004 named Third World Academy of Sciences and now TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, is a merit-based science academy uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in...
(TWAS) Medal Lecture Award 2008, Ranbaxy Science Foundation Award for Basic Medical Sciences and Sir M. Visveswaraiah Senior Scientist State award by Government of Karnataka
Government of Karnataka
The Government of Karnataka is a democratically elected body with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Governor who is appointed for a period of five years appoints the Chief Minister and his council of ministers...
. He has been awarded with Prof. N. Appaji Rao Best Mentor Award -2011, an award instituted by Indian Institute of Science Alumni Association (IIScAA), Bangalore.
He is fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences
The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Sir C. V. Raman, and was registered as a Society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meeting of Fellows, held on the same day, elected Professor Raman as President, and adopted...
(IAS), Bangalore; Indian National Science Academy
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy , New Delhi is the apex body of Indian scientists representing all branches of science & technology.-History:...
(INSA), Delhi; National Academy of Sciences, India
National Academy of Sciences, India
The National Academy of Sciences, India is the oldest Science Academy in India. It is located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh...
(NASI), Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
; National Academy of Medical Sciences (FAMS), India; Third World Academy of Science (TWAS), Triesty, Italy; American Society for Cell Biology, American Society for Microbiology
American Society for Microbiology
The American Society for Microbiology is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. Microbiology is the study of organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye and which must be viewed with a...
, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is a learned society that was founded on December 26, 1906 at a meeting organized by John Jacob Abel...
and Human Genome Organization award.