Leadership, Research & the Future of Indian Science with Prof. L S Shashidhara

Recently, we had the privilege of hosting Prof. LS Shashidhara, on The Next Experiment, for a candid sit-down conversation. He shared how he was raised within a family environment which fostered curiosity and encouraged debate and discussion. He was initially interested in history and literature but he was pulled towards research during his bachelor’s in agricultural sciences. He was impressed by how his undergraduate professors didn't shy away from asking even the most fundamental questions. Both his family and undergraduate experiences laid a strong foundation upon which his scientific temperament was built, which bore fruit when he was offered a full-ride scholarship for a PhD at the prestigious Cambridge University.

He emphasised the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to science and how skills acquired in one field can be profitably applied to another. This philosophy was embodied in his own post-doctoral research when he was able to decode a genetic sequence in three months by bringing a computational approach to the problem. In those days, decoding a gene sequence was sometimes enough work for an entire doctoral project. This just highlights how borrowing insight from disparate fields can sometimes bring about a paradigm shift in solving difficult problems. As a scientist, he has kept himself agile. He started out as an agriculturist who pivoted towards developmental biology, and now he is looking at cancer through the lens of developmental biology.

Life, for him, isn’t all about academic rigour and straining through a microscope. He sees himself as a facilitator for science. He gives his students a free hand for experimental design while he plays an advisory role. His role as a scientific advisor has expanded beyond his own lab, where he is now transitioning towards scientific administration. While at CCMB, Hyderabad, he felt that he could be more productive by facilitating other people’s research. Now, he is inspired by the enthusiasm of young researchers, and he hopes to facilitate their research by ensuring that they have the requisite funding and permits. He doesn’t see this as mundane administrative work but rather an exciting new phase in his career.

When asked about the future of science, he replied that now science is pushed forward by real-time collaboration between research groups across the world. He believes that through science, humanity can transcend the flimsy categorisations such as race, politics, and class, and come together to solve problems which are common to all of us as human beings. As advice to young researchers, he suggests following your internal compass, as we ourselves know better than anyone else if we’ve done good science or not. In his personal time, he enjoys literature and Indian classical music.

Link to the talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjVok2xWdN8

Written by,

Deven Matkari