Indian Institute of Science alumna named second Kalam Fellow at American University

Subramanian intends to use the PhD programme at USF to make an impact in the areas of genome integrity and ageing mechanisms

Veena Subramanian, a Master’s graduate from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, whose area of research is ageing, is the recipient of the second APJ Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship of the University of South Florida (USF). The first Fellowship winner was from IIT Bombay.

USF launched the Fellowship in 2015 to honour President Kalam, who visited the university in 2012. Aimed at Indian students wanting to pursue a PhD in specified Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes, the Fellowship offers a four-year tuition waiver as well as a stipend of $18,000 per year.

Subramanian intends to use the PhD programme at USF to make an impact in the areas of genome integrity and ageing mechanisms, which will enhance the understanding of issues facing the elderly and help researchers to find solutions to their pressing needs. "Ageing is a feature that is conserved across species and is one of the major risk factors for a variety of pathologies like Alzheimer’s, metabolic disorders, Type II diabetes, and cancer, all of which are leading health challenges of this century," says Veena.

"Veena was a remarkable candidate for the highly competitive President APJ Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship, and we welcome and anticipate her contributions to the USF Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology," said Dr Roger Brindley, USF System Vice President, USF World. "Her exceptional academic credentials and passion for research exemplifies all that embodies a Kalam Fellow."

Veena was born and raised in Kottayam, Kerala. She completed her undergraduate in biotechnology engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology and graduated from IISc with a Masters in Cell Biology.