Workshop facilitators

• Dr. Madhavan Chalat, Grants Adviser, Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance

  Madhavan Chalat did his Masters degree in Biotechnology from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam and PhD from Anna University, Chennai. This was followed by postdoctoral research work at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York and University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Throughout his research career Dr Chalat has been engaged in biophysical and biochemical characterization of transport across the phospholipid bilayer membranes. His research work has been published in international journals including Journal of Biological Chemistry, Nature Communications and Molecular Biology of Cell. At India Alliance he has been involved in grants administration and is currently the secretary to the Early Career Fellowship selection committee.

• Dr. Madhankumar Anandhakrishnan, Grants Manager, Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance

  For his PhD in structural biology from the University of Heidelberg, Madhan used X-ray crystallography and complementary biophysical approaches to investigate the structure-function relationships of a few mycobacterial enzymes. His interest in science facilitation and grants management led him to join the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance as a Grants Adviser in late 2013. Besides his regular grants advising duties, he was involved in coordinating the Alliance's science communication training activities and the pilot phase of India Research Management Initiative (IRMI), a programme aimed at strengthening research ecosystems in India. As Senior Grants Adviser, he has served as Secretary to the Alliance's fellowship selection committees; he recently assumed the role of Grants Manager.

• Dr. Sarah Iqbal, Lead, Communications & Public Engagement, Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance

  Dr. Sarah Iqbal leads research and programme communications, media engagement and public engagement portfolio at the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance. Sarah manages India Alliance's capacity building and training workshops as well as assists in developing new programmes and partnerships that empower India Alliance to strengthen the Indian biomedical research ecosystem. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, UK, and was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Scripps Research Institute, USA. Sarah has published in various journals, including Scientific Reports, Structure, Science Translational Medicine, Angewandte Chemie International Edition and others. Sarah has interest in exploring and developing innovative and creative models and tools for public and policy engagement. She is passionate about making science accessible to all.