Scientific Advisory Council

Throughout its existence, ASTC has served as a pivotal platform for the academic community, fostering discussions on scientific topics and addressing the needs of academia and industry alike. The Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) has played a significant role in guiding ASTC's activities, with esteemed personalities such as Dr. B. G. Sidharth, Dr. K. V. Raghavan and Dr. G. Sundararajan contributing their expertise. Currently, the SAC is led by Dr. Ch. Mohan Rao and Dr. B. Sesi Keran as chairmen, with Prof. P. Appa Rao and Dr. D. Raghunadha Rao serving as Vice Chairmen, ensuring a broad spectrum of scientific expertise within the organization.
ASTC has also been fortunate to have a sympathetic and illustrious Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) since its inception, whose guidance has significantly contributed to its growth.

Chairmen

Dr. Ch. Mohan Rao

Dr. Mohan Rao Chintalagiri is a molecular biologist renowned for his contributions to the fields of biophysics and molecular biology. He has earned international recognition for his work on molecular chaperones as well as his contribution to the field of photoacoustic spectroscopy in health and disease. He is a former Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and served as a CSIR-Distinguished Scientist. Currently he serves as a Senior Professor Emeritus at the BITS Pilani-Hyderabad Campus, starting in 2024. In 1999, he was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, in the Medical Sciences category. Dr. Rao's career includes 30 years of service as a distinguished scientist and subsequently as the director of CCMB from 1984 to 2003. Throughout his career, he held prestigious positions globally, including visiting associate at the National Institutes of Health (1990-92), visiting professor at Tokyo Science University, Japan (1996), and visiting professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch and the Institute for Protein Research in Osaka University, Japan. He is also an elected fellow of several esteemed scientific organisations.

Dr. B. Sesikeran

Dr. Sesikeran Boindala is the Former Director of NIN - ICMR Hyderabad. He is a Pathologist by training and has carried out research in the areas of Nutrition, Food Safety and Toxicology for 30 years. He has over 120 publications and chapters in 3 books. He has developed guidelines for probiotics in foods, GM food safety, biosimilar drugs, and Recommended Dietary Allowances and Dietary Guidelines. He was the Director of ICMR - NIN between 2006 and 2012. He was a member for 12 years and Chairman for two terms of the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulations (RCGM), and a member of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, Fellow of the International Medical Sciences Academy, and Fellow of the AP & Telangana Academies of Sciences. He is a Past President of the Nutrition Society of India, Public Trustee of ILSI India, and a member of the Governing Body of the Nutrition Foundation of India and the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Gut Microbiota and Probiotic Science Foundation (India). He is also Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Protein Foods and Nutrition Development Association of India (PFNDAI).