Prof. Amitabha Chattopadhyay is a molecular biologist known for developing the 'Parallax' method for determining membrane penetration depths of a wide variety of membrane-bound fluorophores including proteins and peptides. The method became very popular in subsequent years and earned him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in the Biological Sciences category.
Prof. Chattopadhyay received his bachelor's degree in Chemistry from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, and a master's in the same subject from IIT Kanpur. He obtained his Ph.D. from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Davis. Subsequently, he joined the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. Currently, he is an Adjunct Professor, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. Currently, he is an Emeritus Professor, Biological Sciences, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research and J.C. Bose Fellow, Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology. He has recently been awarded 'The World Academy of Sciences' (TWAS) prize 2016.
Prof. Chattopadhyay's work is focused on monitoring organization, dynamics, and function of biological membranes in healthy and diseased conditions. His research group has developed and applied novel and sensitive techniques such as the wavelength-selective fluorescence approach using fluorescence spectroscopy for monitoring solvent relaxation in membranes, membrane-mimetic media, and proteins. These pioneering studies have led to a better understanding of the dynamics of hydration of membranes and proteins.
He is positioned as a J.C. Bose Fellow, Outstanding Scientist at Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, and the Dean of Biological Sciences at the Academy for Scientific and Innovative Research. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Special Center for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Indian Institute of Science; Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali; and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. He is an honorary faculty member at Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore.
