Merck announced the winners of the Merck Young Scientist Award 2025. The fourth edition of the ceremony was held in Bangalore and recognised researchers in Life Sciences. The event was attended by academicians, researchers, and industry experts.
Announcing the winners, Dhananjay Singh, Managing Director, Merck Life Science in India, said, “Merck continues to celebrate India’s brightest minds who are expanding the horizons of Science & Research. The winners of the 2025 edition reflect the spirit of innovation, resilience, and mission-driven research, driving the country towards a global R&D powerhouse. Their groundbreaking work aligns with Merck’s vision and reinforces the company’s belief that scientific excellence can transform society. We are proud to empower these changemakers, who are shaping the future of science in India.”
The award programme included two categories: Emerging Talent (early-career scientists, within five years post-PhD) and Scientific Excellence (mid-career researchers, five to ten years post-PhD). Winners in each category were chosen across Biological Sciences and Chemical Sciences.
The award received over 2,000 registrations across India. A total of 16 finalists were selected. Four winners and four runners-up were announced in each discipline across both categories.
Chemical Sciences
Scientific Excellence Winners:
- Dr Janakiram Vaitla, IIT Delhi
- Dr Bishnu Prasad Biswal, NISER Bhubaneswar
Scientific Excellence Runners-up:
- Dr Basudev Sahoo, IISER Thiruvananthapuram
- Dr Ritika Gautam, IIT Kanpur
Emerging Talent Winners:
- Dr Susanta Hazra, IISc
- Dr Vignesh Palani, IISc
Emerging Talent Runners-up:
- Dr Sanjib Panda, IIT Madras
- Dr Indu Bala, IIT Mandi
Biological Sciences
Scientific Excellence Winners:
- Dr Gaurav Ahuja, IIIT-D
- Dr Tapomoy Bhattacharjee, NCBS
Scientific Excellence Runners-up:
- Dr Jogender Singh, IISER Mohali
- Dr Amitesh Anand, TIFR Mumbai
Emerging Talent Winners:
- Dr Swati Sudhakar, IIT Madras
- Dr Amit Nain, IIT Delhi
Emerging Talent Runners-up:
- Dr Jyoti Tanwar, RCB
- Dr Naziya Chaudhary, ACTREC
Winners in the Emerging Talent category received INR 2,50,000, and runners-up received INR 1,00,000. Winners in the Scientific Excellence category received INR 3,50,000, including a travel grant of INR 1,00,000, while runners-up received INR 1,25,000.
Applications were reviewed by a panel of experts. The 2025 jury panel was chaired by Prof. Ullas Kolthur-Seetharam, Director, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad; Prof. Vinay Nandicoori, Director, Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad; and Dr D. Srinivasa Reddy, Director, CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad.
The jury panel also included researchers from institutes across India: Dr Chepuri V. Ramana, CSIR-NCL Pune; Prof. Kavirayani R. Prasad, IISc Bangalore; Prof. Tharmalingam Punniyamurthy, IIT Guwahati; Prof. Krishna P. Kaliappan, IIT Bombay; Dr Buddhadeb Chattopadhyay, IISER Pune; Prof. Vivek Polshettiwar, TIFR Mumbai; Prof. Tapas Kundu, JNCASR Bangalore; Dr Deepak Modi, ICMR-NIRRCH Mumbai; Prof. Yogeeswari Perumal, BITS Pilani Hyderabad; Prof. Pankaj Seth, NBRC Haryana; Dr Taruna Madan Gupta, ICMR Delhi; Prof. Annapoorni Rangarajan, IISc Bangalore; Mukesh Jain, JNU New Delhi; and Dr Renu Pandey, ICAR-IARI New Delhi.
