DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance (India Alliance) has appointed Dr Jyotsna Dhawan as its CEO. She has taken over responsibilities from Dr Vasan Sambandamurthy with effect from 1st December, 2021 till further communication, as per a statement from DBT/India Alliance.
The statement informed that Dr Dhawan holds over 25 years of experience in research leadership at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, where her group has focussed on muscle stem cells. She was involved in the establishment of DBT’s Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine in Bengaluru in 2009. Dhawan’s research has focussed on molecular mechanisms by which dormancy or quiescence contributes to adult stem cell function and skeletal muscle repair.
She is the current (2019-2021) President of the Indian Society for Cell Biology and the Indian Society of Developmental Biologists (2017- 2020) and was elected as a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 2019, the statement further mentioned.
Speaking on her appointment, Dr Dhawan said, “I am honoured and excited to join the prestigious DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, a foundation that is at the forefront of transforming biomedical research in India. I look forward to working with the scientific community to strengthen the research ecosystem in India. We are at a critical juncture when the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic and the public has very high expectations from science.”