Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 16 (PTI) The RGCB here on Thursday said that Dr Beena Pillai, chief scientist at the IGIB (New Delhi), has taken over as its new director.
The Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet has approved her appointment for a five-year term.
Dr Pillai will succeed Professor Chandrabhas Narayana, who completed his five-year tenure as director in September last year, a statement from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology said.
Dr Pillai is an accomplished scientist in RNA biology and neuronal development and function.
Her laboratory at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology studies the role of RNA in early development, neurogenesis, adult behaviour, and disease susceptibility, the statement said.
Born in Kalady, she completed her B Sc from Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai, and an integrated MS-PhD from IISc, Bengaluru, before joining IGIB as a young scientist.
She has received several awards, including the National Bioscience Award, the INSA Young Scientist Award, and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Young Scientist Award in Biological Sciences.
RGCB is a national institute under the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC), Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
Its mandates include discovery research in disease biology, translational sciences, technology development, and training.
Dr Pillai is expected to steer new initiatives at RGCB, including a cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) facility, a bio-manufacturing hub, and an oncology referral hospital. PTI HMP SSK
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