Dr Kajal Chakraborty elected as Fellow of National Academy of Sciences India
Dr. Kajal Chakraborty, Principal Scientist and Head of the Marine Biotechnology Fish Nutrition and Health Division of ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has been elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) for the year 2024. Founded in 1930, NASI is an autonomous body of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
The achievement is in recognition of Dr Charkaborty’s outstanding research works on bioactive prospects of marine organisms and development of marine nutraceuticals as promising therapeutic agents against various lifestyle diseases. He is a leading expert in marine biotechnology and bioprospecting, and has pioneering research contributions in the frontier area of bioactive molecule discovery from marine organisms. He has an impressive research record in this area with over 270 peer-reviewed papers, 6,000 plus citations, 16 granted patents, and 12 commercialized technologies.
Dr. Kajal Chakraborty has been listed among the scientists in world's top 2% rankings by Stanford, and has led multiple inter-institutional projects aimed at enhancing understanding of marine biotechnology and its applications in fisheries management and mariculture. He joined Agricultural Research Service of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 2003.
His research works on potential pharmacophore leads of marine organisms were instrumental in developing functional food supplements enriched with bioactive properties against dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and various metabolic or lifestyle disorders. The commercialisation of these products significantly benefitted coastal fishermen by enhancing the demand for seaweeds and molluscs, leading to increased production along Indian coastline.
Dr Chakraborty’s research on marine nutraceuticals and aquatic food product technology has earned him prestigious national honors, including the ICAR-Norman Borlaug Award, DBT-Biotechnology-Product, Process-Development & Commercialization Award, ICAR-Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award, and VASVIK-Industrial Award, among others.
The National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI)
The National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) being a premier organization of Scientists, Engineers and Health professionals. The Academy comprises over 4500 Fellows and Members spread across the country, and it operates 22 Local Chapters that actively engage in various scientific initiatives, representing diverse regions of the country.
