Gagandeep Kang

Early life and education Gagandeep Kang was born in Shimla on 3 November 1962. Her mother taught English and history and her father was a mechanical engineer in the Indian Railways.

Kang completed her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 1987 and her Doctor of Medicine (MD) in Microbiology in 1991 from Christian Medical College, Vellore and obtained her PhD in 1998. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, the UK Faculty of Public Health, the American Academy of Microbiology and of Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Sciences in India and the Indian National Science Academy, as well as the Royal Society.

Kang played a significant role in the efforts that culminated in the development of Rotavac, a vaccine from Bharat Biotech that targets diarrhea. She was one of three principal investigators in the Phase III clinical trials of the vaccine. Her initial interest was in identifying the correlates of protection against the rotavirus. She and others began by recreating a study conducted in Mexico to identify children protected from rotaviral infection, research the immune responses and isolate the correlate of protection. The recreated study itself did not succeed, but it did develop high quality laboratory methods for the detection of rotaviruses. Kang and one of her students subsequently established vaccine assays for rotavirus infections, used in testing Rotavac.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kang played an influential role in science communication by writing op-eds, speaking online and in interviews on television, and serving as a credible voice against misinformation. She was part of the COVID-19 vaccine safety working group at WHO and the COVID-19 vaccine working group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization.

Other activities Global Health Centre, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Member of the International Advisory Board (2020-2023) Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Member of the Board (2018–2023) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Member of the Global Health Scientific Advisory Committee

Recognition Kang is the first Indian woman scientist to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 359 years of history of this scientific academy. 2005 – The Lourdu Yedanapalli Award for Excellence in Research 2019 – Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) 2024 – Canada Gairdner Global Health Award