Asis Datta

Asis Datta is an Indian biochemist, molecular biologist and genetic engineer, known for his research on genetically modified foods and food nutritional security. He was the founding Director of the National Institute of Plant Genome Research and is credited with the discovery of genes that assist in extended preservation of fruits and vegetables. and was awarded the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri, by the Government of India, in 1999. In 2008, he was included again in the Republic Day Honours list for the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan. secured a PhD from Calcutta University for his doctoral work done at Bose Institute. He later followed it up by obtaining the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) from Calcutta University. His next move was to the University of California, Los Angeles, as assistant virologist, where he spent three years. Returning to India in 1975, he joined Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) at its School of Life Sciences and rose to the rank of a professor in 1978. He held several positions at JNU such as that of the dean from 1983 to 1985 and that of the rector from 1993 to 1996,

Positions Datta has been associated with several central and state government and government-aided autonomous bodies in various positions. He chaired the Recruitment Assessment Board of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) from 2003 to 2006 and has held the chair of the Integrated Long Term Programme (ILTP) of the Department of Science and Technology. The team led by him have carried out biological researches which have applications in the fields of agriculture, medicine, science and industry; discovery of genes which helps in extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables and development of genetically modified food are two such applications. He holds 7 Indian patents, 5 US patents and 5 patents of other countries for his research findings. and Indian Academy of Sciences (1992) The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) also elected him as their Fellow in 1998. The TWAS Prize of the World Academy of Sciences reached him in 1996, the same year as he received three more awards, Goyal Prize, Ranbaxy Award in Medical Sciences and D. M Bose Gold Medal of the Indian Science News Association.

The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1999; they would honour him again in 2008 with the Padma Bhushan. He received the R. D Birla Award for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2001, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Centenary Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research of the Indian Council of Medical Research in 2003 and the Lifetime Achievement of the Society of Biological Chemists in 2005. He was again honoured the same year by the West Bengal Government with P. C. Mahalanobis Memorial award. The Indian Science Congress awarded him the Asutosh Mookerjee Medal, the same year and followed it up with the Lifetime Achievement award in 2006. The year 2011 also brought him three awards, namely, Lifetime Achievement award of the Biotech Research Society, Priyadarshini Gold Medal and G. M. Modi Science Award. He has also delivered several award orations; Sir Amulya Rattan Oration, Bashambar Nath Chopra Lecture and Sir Edward Melbary Oration are a few among them.