ABOUT NAGARAJ
A cell biologist by training, Nagaraj graduated from the University of Mumbai (Bombay) with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Microbiology. He went on to earn a PhD in Biochemistry from the Cancer Research Institute (now ACTREC) at the Tata Memorial Center, with a focus on cell-matrix adhesion. Taking a break from cancer biology, he did a postdoc in mammalian phototransduction at the University of Miami, only to return to cell and cancer biology, focusing on cell adhesion and trafficking at the University of Virginia. He moved to IISER, Pune, to start his own research lab in 2010. His research has been funded by multiple agencies and has been extensively published. He has also been recognized for his teaching at IISER, Pune, and is interested in science communication and the arts.
Current Position
Professor, Biology Department, IISER, Pune.
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2022 - 2025 SERB Core Research Grant
2019 - 2022 ICMR Nanomedicine Grant
2020 - 2022 Denstply Sirona Industry Grant
2019 - 2020 BioHorizons Industry Grant
2011 - 2017 Wellcome Trust -DBT Alliance Senior Research Fellowship
2010 - 2011 Ramalingaswami Fellowship from the Dept. of Biotechnology, India.
2001 Fight for Sight Foundation Post Doctoral Fellowship (award not accepted).
2001 - 2003 American Heart Association Post Doctoral Fellowship.
1998 - 2000 Senior Research Fellowship, CSIR, India.
1994 - 1998 Junior Research Fellowship, Cancer Research Institute, Tata Memorial Center.
1994 J N Tata Endowment Award. (not accepted)
1993 -1994 Dr S.N Dhalla Endowment Award - Gold MEdalist. (MS Microbiology) The University of Mumbai.
1993 -1994 University of Mumbai Merit Scholarship for MSc Microbiology.
1992 P.V. Anthalakshmi Memorial Prize (BS - Microbiology). The University of Mumbai.
SCIENCE OUTREACH
Taking the science we do in the lab to the general public and particularly students has
been something I am passionate about. In this regard, I have been associated with a few outreach programs that have allowed me to work with students. Among them includes the outreach program called PRARAMBH that ran from IISER from 2011-2017. I have also been associated with the EXCITING SCIENCE GROUP working out of NCL and IISER (2009-2019). Thes talks how now been put together as an article and poster for iWONDER Magazine.
If you want a COPY of the POSTER for your SCHOOL or COLLEGE - just email the lab at adhesionlab(at)gmail.com
I am now involved as lead @IISER,Pune for the MANAV - HUMAN ATLAS INITIATIVE. This is a citizen science program that aims to bring scientific reading to students across the country and use the same to evaluate scientific data and eventually build data networks. If you are a student, lecturer, researcher or clinician and would like to be associated with the project do check the website and sign in.
You can also reach us at manav(at)iiserpune.ac.in
INTERESTS BEYOND SCIENCE
My interests beyond science include music, photography, art, movies and books. Among the most challenging and satisfying experiences of the last few years has been heading the University of Virginia chapter of SPICMACAY. I have since been involved with the SPICMACAY chapter of IISER,Pune, as its coordinator since its inception in 2010. I was also involved in the starting of the IISER,Pune movie club, Kaleidoscope. I am inspired by the work of Raghu Rai, Steve Winter, Mike Nichols and the letters of Gulzar, Ghalib and R.K. Narayan. I particularly enjoy works of non-fiction and philosophy.
Nov 16, 2016
‘Supermoon’ is not an astrological term. Astronomers prefer to use the term ‘perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system’ to describe this event. The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical orbit and so the distance varies: at some points, it is closer to the Earth and other times far away. The average distance between Earth and Moon is 384,500 km, but varies between 363,396 km and 405,504 km throughout the year. At the time of a supermoon, the full moon comes closest to the Earth.
2018
A window in the wall, a lens to the world ? This installation looking in at the Holocaust museum in Israel
