3 Indian scientists elected fellows of Royal society

Three Indian-origin scientists known for their expertise in genetics, computers and ecology have been elected fellows of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.

Headed by Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan, the London-based Royal Society announced the 2017 election of 50 scientists and 10 foreign members for their outstanding contributions to science.

The three Indian-origin scientists are Krishna Chatterjee (University of Cambridge), Yadvinder Malhi (University of Oxford) and Subhash Khot (New York University).

Krishna Chatterjee is distinguished for his discoveries of genetic disorders of thyroid gland formation, regulation of hormone synthesis and hormone action, which have advanced fundamental knowledge of the thyroid axis. Chatterjee has identified dominant negative inhibition by defective nuclear hormone receptors as a common mechanism in Resistance to Thyroid Hormone and PPARg-mediated insulin resistance.

He has shown how deficiency of human selenocysteine-containing proteins causes a multisystem disease, including disordered thyroid hormone metabolism. He seeks to translate such understanding into better diagnosis and therapy of both rare and common thyroid conditions.

Subhash Khot is a theoretical computer scientist while Yadvinder Malhi is an ecosystem ecologist.