Parimal Ghosh: A Pioneer in the Field of Biochemistry

Parimal Ghosh was born in Calcutta, India in 1929. He completed his undergraduate studies at Presidency College, Calcutta, and his Ph.D. at University of Cambridge, UK. After a brief postdoctoral stint at University of California, Berkeley, he joined the faculty of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 1962, where he is currently a Distinguished Professor.

Ghosh’s research has focused on the biochemistry of enzymes, particularly the role of enzymes in photosynthesis and respiration. He has made major contributions to our understanding of the mechanism of enzyme action, the role of enzymes in metabolic regulation, and the structure and function of photosynthetic proteins. He is also a leader in the use of X-ray crystallography to determine the 3-D structure of proteins.

Ghosh is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy, the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received numerous awards, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (India’s highest award in science), the Gold Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), and the National Medal of Science (USA).