Dr Surendran, a genetic epidemiologist, was awarded a Rutherford fund fellowship in 2018 to research the effect of genetic changes on human metabolism to better understand complex disease. Understanding these genetic changes that bring about changes in human biomolecular pathways could have major implications in terms of understanding the aetiology of complex diseases and for drug development.

Dr Praveen Surendran

Dr Surendran is an Indian citizen who studied at Bangalore University, Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Following his undergraduate and post graduate education, he completed a PhD in Computation Biology and Bioinformatics at University College Dublin and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland before joining the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit (CEU) in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge in 2013.

Praveen’s mentor at Cambridge encouraged him to apply for the fellowship which provided a good framework for his growth from being an analyst to a scientific leader in the area of human genetics. And most importantly the fellowship was split between national (UK/EU) and international researchers.

Praveen was impressed from the start of the fellowship application process. It was a very well-structured application process that allowed him to put forward a concise research proposal and sit an interview. It was only after the interview and a conditional offer, he had to submit a full application through the funders portal for approval which is the time-consuming process since this involves a lot of input from the administration and research office.

His fellowship allowed Dr Surendran to advance from being a Genetic Statistician, primarily involving analyses, to being a Senior Research Associate with the freedom and knowledge to define his own objectives and training needs to advance his research in the area of genetics and molecular epidemiology.

After what he regards as a highly successful three years of research with extensive support from HDR-UK and CEU, University of Cambridge, Dr Surendran is aiming to advance his research career with the knowledge and scientific achievement he gained during a phase supported by the Rutherford Fund Fellowship.

Praveen’s career path:

  • Undergraduate and post-graduate in Biotechnology/Bioinformatics, Bangalore University and Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology and Indian Institute of Science – INDIA.
  • Junior Research Fellow training at the Indian Institute of Science
  • PhD in Computation Biology and Bioinformatics, University College Dublin (joint appointment with Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland)
  • Research Associate (Genetic Statistician: 2013 – 2020) and Senior Research Associate (2020 to date) at the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit (CEU), Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge
  • HDR UK Rutherford Fund Fellowship 2018