Researchers and researcher-entrepreneurs will benefit from getting acquainted with the Biodiversity Act.

India has now developed a few internationally recognized research institutes in the life sciences. These centers have developed a critical mass of outstanding scientists, are well equipped for modern research, attract international scientists, and have become competitive for junior faculty recruitment with institutions in the US/Europe. However, the success of these relatively few centers also poses challenges. First, when Indians doing their postdocs abroad consider applying for a junior faculty … More

My husband Amitabha Bandyopadhyay and I decided towards the beginning of 2005 that we would be looking for jobs in India. Two factors mainly contributed to this decision:1)The opening up of job opportunities in India and2)The possibility to being close to our families.I was a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Connie Cepko's laboratory and Amitabha was a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Cliff Tabin's laboratory. Both the labs were in the Genetics … More

Universities/India must act now to reverse a long trend towards obsolescence, as the rest of the world races forward with its educational systems. The IISERs are a bright addition and already successful, but are insufficient in scope and represent a typical trend of building anew instead of solving problems lingering from the past.

Most junior faculty choose to pursue scientific projects that are closely aligned with their postdoctoral work. There are many reasons why this is the case - the tenure clock starts ticking and grants require preliminary results. However, India might want to develop mechanisms that allow individuals to break out of this rut.