BioVoice News March2023 | Page 33

With an experience spanning close to three decades , Dr Shrikumar Suryanarayan is well recognized for his scientific and administrative skills . His professional career with Biocon Limited started in 1984 with the establishment of the R & D division where he rose to the level of President in the next 25 years . During this period , he was responsible for development of many processes for industrial enzymes , the design and construction of a novel bioreactor for Solid State Fermentation , that was described as an outstanding innovation in the field of fermentation technology by Prof . Charles Cooney of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . The invention also received the 2001 Biotechnology Process Development award from the Ministry of Science and Technology , Government of India . He was also responsible for development of several processes for the development of pharmaceutical small molecules by fermentation and synthetic chemistry , and a bio-therapeutics program which included injected and oral insulin , several recombinant therapeutics and monoclonal antibodies .

Currently , Dr Shrikumar is the Chairman and co-founder of Sea6 Energy . His other appointments include an Adjunct Professorship at the Department of Biotechnology at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras . He is also a member of Governing & Advisory boards of several institutes and centers promoted by the Department of Biotechnology , Government of India and served as the Chief Executive officer for the Translational Health Sciences Institute at the National Capital Region Biosciences Cluster , Government of India from 2009-2010 .

Dr Suryanarayan holds a bachelor ' s degree in chemical engineering from Indian Institute of technology , Madras and a master ' s degree in Biochemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology , New Delhi . He established two post doctoral fellowships at Biotechnology Department in IIT Madras , and has funded student participation in MIT ’ s International Genetically Engineered Machines 2008 competition . In recognition of his

Current Position : Chairman and co-founder , Sea6 Energy

Impact : Instrumental in seeing Biocon grow from a small company manufacturing industrial enzymes to a specialized biopharmaceutical company .

Notable Awards : 2001 Biotechnology Process Development award from the Ministry of Science and Technology , Government of India professional accomplishment and his outstanding contributions to the field of biotechnology , he was conferred an award by the IIT Madras and its alumni .

Dr Suryanarayan was instrumental in seeing Biocon grow from a small company manufacturing industrial enzymes to a specialized biopharmaceutical company with market capitalization in excess of a billion dollars , currently ranked seventh largest employer globally among biotechnology companies . He has made significant contributions to the development of biotechnology education in India and abroad . He has been visiting faculty at Karolinska Institute , Stockholm Sweden and is currently an adjunct faculty with the Department of Biotechnology , IIT Madras . He is also member of the Research Advisory Committee for the Department of Biotechnology and is a Board Member of IIT Madras Research Park . In the near past , he has also served as the Director-General of the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises of India ( ABLE ), Bangalore .

Alma Mater : IIT Madras , IIT Delhi

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