Partha Majumder | Human Genetics | Lifetime achievement Award

Published-on by Indian Scientist

Prof. Partha Majumder | Human Genetics | Lifetime achievement Award

John C. Martin Center for Liver Research & Innovations/Indian Statistical Institute | India

Prof. Partha Majumder is a globally respected leader in human genetics, celebrated for shaping modern population genomics and advancing the scientific understanding of human diversity, disease risk, and evolutionary patterns. With an outstanding research record supported by 16,578+ citations, an h-index of 58, and 214+ indexed publications, his scholarly influence spans population-based genomic variation, statistical genetics, precision medicine, and computational modeling. He has authored foundational studies that transformed views on genetic structure across South Asian populations, and his contributions have been widely recognized through major scientific honors and memberships in premier academies. Prof. Majumder’s academic journey includes rigorous training in statistics and genetics, leading to prestigious appointments across India and internationally, where he has guided institutions, established key genomic research programs, and mentored several generations of scientists. His research interests center on human evolutionary genetics, disease genomics, biomedical statistics, and ethical frameworks for genomic data use. His experience encompasses leadership roles in national genome initiatives, advisory committees, and collaborative global consortia. Deeply committed to science-driven societal impact, Prof. Majumder continues to inspire through his relentless pursuit of knowledge, impactful discoveries, and enduring contributions to the growth and integrity of human genetics research.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Regev, A., Teichmann, S. A., Lander, E. S., Amit, I., Benoist, C., Birney, E., … Human Cell Atlas. (2017).
The human cell atlas. eLife, 6, e27041. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.27041

HUGO Pan-Asian SNP Consortium, Abdulla, M. A., Ahmed, I., … Majumder, P. P. (2009). Mapping human genetic diversity in Asia. Science, 326(5959), 1541–1545. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1177074

Sengupta, S., Zhivotovsky, L. A., King, R., Mehdi, S. Q., Edmonds, C. A., Chow, C. E. T., … Majumder, P. P. (2006). Polarity and temporality of high-resolution Y-chromosome distributions in India identify both indigenous and exogenous expansions and reveal minor genetic influence of Central Asia. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 78(2), 202–221. https://doi.org/10.1086/499411

Basu, A., Mukherjee, N., Roy, S., Sengupta, S., Banerjee, S., Chakraborty, M., … Majumder, P. P. (2003).
Ethnic India: A genomic view, with special reference to peopling and structure. Genome Research, 13(10), 2277–2290. https://doi.org/10.1101/gr.1413403

Underhill, P. A., Myres, N. M., Rootsi, S., Metspalu, M., Zhivotovsky, L. A., King, R. J., … Majumder, P. P. (2010). Separating the post-Glacial coancestry of European and Asian Y chromosomes within haplogroup R1a. European Journal of Human Genetics, 18(4), 479–484. https://doi.org/10.1038/ejhg.2009.194

Sounak Sarkar | Bacterial Genetics | Excellence in Scientific Research Award

Published-on by Indian Scientist

Dr. Sounak Sarkar | Bacterial Genetics | Excellence in Scientific Research Award

MATS University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh | India

Dr. Sounak Sarkar is an accomplished microbiologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Science at MATS University, Raipur, with extensive experience in bacterial genetics, molecular evolution of microbes, pharmacological screening of therapeutic drugs, and biofertilizer applications in agriculture. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Calcutta, with research conducted at ICMR-NICED, focusing on the dynamic phenotypic changes of Vibrio cholerae due to genetic alterations. He also earned an M.Sc. in Medical Biotechnology and a B.Sc. in Biotechnology, complementing his strong academic foundation. Dr. Sarkar’s professional experience includes roles as Project Associate and Associate Application Specialist at NIPER, Kolkata, and Molecular Biologist in clinical COVID-19 laboratories, alongside his research fellowships in microbiology and bacteriology. His research portfolio encompasses over ten publications in reputed journals and book chapters, with significant contributions in multidrug-resistant Vibrio cholerae, bioethanol production from agro-industrial waste, and antimicrobial studies. He holds an international patent for a bioethanol production system from tea waste. Dr. Sarkar has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has received the Best Academician Award. His work has garnered 57 citations with an h-index of 5, reflecting impactful scientific contributions. Dr. Sarkar continues to advance microbiology research and mentor Ph.D. students, fostering innovation in microbial sciences.

Profiles: Google Scholar | Scopus

Featured Publications

Samanta, P., Saha, R. N., Chowdhury, G., Naha, A., Sarkar, S., Dutta, S., & Mukhopadhyay, A. K. (2018). Dissemination of newly emerged polymyxin B sensitive Vibrio cholerae O1 containing Haitian-like genetic traits in different parts of India. Journal of Medical Microbiology, 67(9), 1326–1333. https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.000783

Sarkar, S., Das, M., Bhowmick, T. S., Koley, H., Atterbury, R., Chakrabarti, A. K., & Sarkar, B. L. (2018). Isolation and characterization of novel broad host range bacteriophages of Vibrio cholerae O1 from Bengal. Journal of Global Infectious Diseases, 10(2), 84–88. https://doi.org/10.4103/jgid.jgid_37_17

Jaiswal, A., Sarkar, S., Das, P., Nandy, S., Koley, H., & Sarkar, B. (2015). Trends in the genomic epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae O1 isolated worldwide since 1961. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 46(4), 460–464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2015.06.012

Howlader, D. R., Bhaumik, U., Halder, P., Satpathy, A., Sarkar, S., Ghoshal, M., … Koley, H. (2022). An experimental adult zebrafish model for Shigella pathogenesis, transmission, and vaccine efficacy studies. Microbiology Spectrum, 10(3), e00347-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.00347-22

De, R., Ramamurthy, T., Sarkar, B. L., Mukhopadhyay, A. K., Pazhani, G. P., Sarkar, S., Dutta, S., & Nair, G. B. (2017). Retrospective genomic analysis of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strains from different places in India reveals the presence of ctxB-7 allele found in Haitian isolates. Epidemiology & Infection, 145(11), 2212–2220. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268817001182