International Award to Professor Seyed E. Hasnain,

Prestigious International Award to Professor Seyed E. Hasnain,
Vice-Chancellor, University of Hyderabad
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany has selected
Professor Seyed Ehtesham Hasnain, Vice-Chancellor, University of Hyderabad,
for the highly prestigious Humboldt Research Award 2008. This Award is given to
“eminent non-German researchers whose fundamental discoveries, insights or
new theories have had a lasting impact on their field of specialization and who
are expected to produce cutting edge results”. The Humboldt Research Prize
honours the academic achievements to date of internationally recognized
scientists and is valued at €60000 (about Rs.37 lakhs). “A not insignificant
number of Award Winners has subsequently been granted a Nobel Prize” says
the release from the Humboldt Foundation.
Professor Hasnain was the first Director of the Centre for DNA
Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Hyderabad and is presently the Vice-
Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad. He currently leads an active research
group on the molecular epidemiology and functional biology of Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, the pathogen that causes tuberculosis and has authored more than
180 research papers and about a dozen international patents.
A recipient of the Padma Shri from the President of India, Hasnain has
received several prestigious Awards including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
Prize, the Ranbaxy Research Award, J.C. Bose Fellowship and the more
prestigious G.D. Birla Award which is given annually to a scientist who has
excelled in all branches of sciences put together. Honoured with several other
national and international professional recognitions, Professor Hasnain is a
Fellow of several prestigious national and international science Academies
including the German National Science Academy, Leopoldina; and was the
youngest to be ever elected to the prestigious Third World Academy of Sciences
(TWAS), Trieste, Italy; Indian National Science Academy (INSA), India etc.
Editor-in-Chief of Gut Pathogens (Elsevier Publishers), he is associated with the
editorial boards of many other scientific journals.
Professor Hasnain is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the
Prime Minister of India and is the Chairman of the Biotechnology Advisory
Council to the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.