New Delhi, August 05, 2020 : Ashoka University, the leading Liberal Arts and Sciences University in India, today announced the appointment of Dr. Shahid Jameel as the Director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences. The School was launched earlier in the year with a generous endowment of over Rs. 100 crore by Ashok Trivedi, Founder and Trustee, Ashoka University, and Managing Partner of SWAT Capital. Dr. Jameel’s appointment further reinforces Ashoka’s commitment to research in emerging areas in Biology and Data Science to address the problems of infectious and other chronic diseases. He will join the University on October 1, 2020.
Dr. Jameel comes to Ashoka University after spending over seven years as Chief Executive Officer of the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, a public charity that funds biomedical research. Before that, he was Group Leader of Virology at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, for over 25 years, researching human viruses.
Dr. Jameel received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Medical Sciences, India’s highest mid-career research award. He is also a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences, India.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Shahid Jameel said, “I am delighted to join the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University and look forward to building a robust program addressing key scientific challenges. There is a need for high-quality scientific research, especially health research, that connects seamlessly to society. With an emphasis on liberal education and its strengths in natural sciences, social sciences, and data science, Ashoka University would be ideal for such a multidisciplinary approach. Having built robust health research and research management programs earlier, I very much look forward to this opportunity.”
Founder and Trustee, Ashok Trivedi, said, “We had established the Trivedi School of Biosciences to provide India with a talent pool of bio-scientists which would be integral to establishing a world-class biotechnology infrastructure in the country. With one of the world’s leading virologists, Dr. Shahid Jameel, as the Director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences, I am confident that the School will put India on the global map of advanced research in Synthetic Biology, infectious diseases, chronic diseases, and advanced computing technologies”.
Professor Malabika Sarkar, Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University, said, “Ashoka is committed to conducting cutting-edge research in different disciplines including biosciences. With internationally acclaimed virologist, Dr. Shahid Jameel as the Director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences, I am certain that the University will achieve global excellence in biosciences research. His mentorship will enable the School to produce the next generation of world-class Bioscientists in India and help the country be a leading player in the emerging field of Biosciences”.
Prof Shashidhara, Dean (Research) of Ashoka University, said, “I am excited that Dr. Shahid Jameel is joining Ashoka and will be leading the newly established Trivedi School of Biosciences. He is one of the most respected and trusted names in the academic circles. I am confident that he will be able to attract the best minds to Ashoka and mentor them to pursue great science to yield high societal impact.”
Led by Malabika Sarkar and L.S. Shashidhara, Ashoka University has started its global search for new faculty. It envisions its Biosciences initiative to be the cornerstone of its natural sciences program. The Advisory Board of Trivedi School of Biosciences includes Nobel Laureates Venki Ramakrishnan and Jack Szostack. The School already has six highly qualified faculty and more than a dozen Ph.D. scholars working at the frontiers of Molecular Biology, Ecology, and Evolution. It aims to have over 30 Biosciences faculty and 100 Ph.D. students by 2025. The physical infrastructure is slated to be ready by December 2021.
