Forgotten Heroes of Indian Science

Anand Ranganathan obtained his BSc (Hons) degree in Chemistry from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, after which he went on a scholarship to Cambridge, UK, where he obtained his BA (Tripos) in Natural Sciences, his MA, and his PhD. After a post-doctoral stint at Cambridge, Anand returned to India to join International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Delhi, where he ran his lab for 16 years as a Staff Research Scientist. In 2015 he joined the Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi and became a full Professor in 2019. His laboratory works in the area of Directed Evolution and Pathogenesis, with special emphasis on Tuberculosis and Malaria. Scientific contributions from Anand's lab have been published in peer-reviewed journals like The Journal of Biological Chemistry, Chemistry & Biology, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and Nature Communications. Anand writes and appears frequently on television debates, on Politics, Media, and Science. His columns have appeared in Swarajya, DNA, NL, Firstpost, and Quartz. He is also the Consulting Editor of Swarajya. Anand has authored five books: The Land of the Wilted Rose (Rupa, 2012); For Love and Honour (Bloomsbury, 2015); The Rat Eater (Bloomsbury, 2019; co-authored); Soufflé (Penguin, 2023); and Hindus in Hindu Rashtra (BlueOne Ink, 2023).

Sheetal Ranganathan is an alumna of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, from where she obtained her BSc (Hons) degree in Human Biology, and her Master’s in Medical Biotechnology, after which she pivoted into business strategy and consulting with an MBA from Xavier Institute of Management. In her corporate career of over twenty years, she has held several leadership positions in global organisations in the healthcare and biotech sectors. She also works closely with the life sciences start-up community within India as a mentor and an investor. Passionate about improving healthcare access in India, and in India’s potential to contribute to world-class medical research and innovation, Sheetal has been an active contributor to the evolving narrative on digitalization of medicine and healthcare delivery, featuring on think-tank panels and TV debates. Her op-eds have featured in publications such as Mint, Financial Express, India Today.