Press Reports

Hyderabad, 23 Feb, 2023: CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) celebrated its Founder’s Day on the occasion of the birth anniversary of their Founder Director, Dr Pushpa Mitra Bhargava on 22 Feb. Dr Bhargava was a visionary scientist who established CCMB, India’s first research laboratory dedicated to modern biology. CCMB was built as a unique laboratory whose primary objectives are inclusive of fundamental research in life sciences to training the next generation of scientists and life science professionals, and connecting science with society. Over time, the centre inspired many other life science research institutes in the country.

To acknowledge the vision of Dr Bhargava, the PhD students of CCMB celebrate their Founder’s Day by bringing their alumni together across the globe. In the 46 years of its existence, CCMB has groomed about 500 PhD students who have gone around the world to hold positions in academia and industry. This year, for the first time, the students had arranged for a formal alumni meet on 21 Feb. And on 22 Feb, fitting to the occasion, two CCMB alum, Dr Kasturi Mitra, Associate Professor at Ashoka University and Dr Aneeshkumar Arimbaserri, Faculty member at National Institute of Immunology spoke of their journey from CCMB to their current positions. And the keynote lecture was delivered by Prof Satyajit Mayor, National Centre for Biological Sciences on the fabric-like nature of the cell membrane, and how physicists and biologists have come together to understand the membrane.

“This was the 7th Founder’s Day that our students have organized. This year, across the last two days, the students arranged for seminal discussions related to the future of academia, workforce management in academia, and careers for STEM graduates,” said Dr Vinay K Nandicoori, Director, CCMB

“The alumni meet helps us network with our past students and explore the realities of various career options. Today, we STEM graduates want to explore various kinds of careers – from academia to entrepreneurship and public engagement in science. The meeting helps us know more about the fellowship and funding opportunities in these as well as connect with relevant people in the fields,” said the student organizing team