Dr. Radha Rangarajan is the Director of the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and a leader in translational research and product development with a strong focus on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Over the past two decades, she has contributed extensively to antibacterial drug discovery and healthcare innovation. She previously worked in the Drug Discovery division at Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (2003–2009) and later co-founded Vitas Pharma, where she led the preclinical development of multiple novel classes of antibiotics. In 2020, she served as Chief Technology Officer at HealthCube, overseeing product development, clinical validation, manufacturing, and regulatory affairs. Dr. Rangarajan has received several prestigious honours, including the FICCI Award of Excellence for Women in R&D (2019), the Discovery Award from the Longitude Prize Committee, UK, for Vitas Pharma (2016), and the “Biotech Startup of the Year” award for HealthCube at the Bengaluru Tech Summit (2021). She serves on the Board of Governors of the Tres Cantos Open Lab Foundation, UK, and contributes to multiple national and international advisory and selection committees. Dr. Rangarajan holds a B.S. in Biology from Stanford University, a PhD from The Rockefeller University, and completed her postdoctoral training at the Harvard School of Public Health.
