Obaid Siddiqui
Encyclopedia
Obaid Siddiqi is a neurogeneticist
who has done pioneering work on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster
. He is still active as a researcher at National Centre for Biological Science, Bangalore http://www.ncbs.res.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=71.
, the son of M. A. Qadeer Siddiqi. He gained M.Sc. from AMU Aligarh in 1953 and a Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow
in 1961 where he worked in the Department of Genetics. He is married to Asiya Siddiqi (who had served in Dept. of History, AMU Aligarh).
. Together they discovered the suppressors of “nonsense” mutations that led to the discovery of “nonsense” codons, the stop signals in the genetic code.In early seventies, his work with Seymour Benzer
of the California Institute of Technology
led to the identification of several genes that control nerve conduction and synaptic transmission. Obaid and his associates’ pioneering work on neurogenetics of fruit fly, Drosophila, has opened up the prospects of an integrated genetic and neurobiological investigation of chemosensory perception.
Obaid’s desire to return to India was fulfilled when Homi Bhabha of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, invited him to start a molecular biology group at the institute in early 1960s. Obaid recruited top-class scientists and put the TIFR’s molecular biology group on world map of genetics. Later, with the support of government of India, he founded TIFR’s National Center for Biological Sciences at Bangalore. The mandate of this Center is basic research in the frontier areas of biology and currently it has many distinguished scholars working in various fields of science with state-of-the-art facilities testifying that Obaid’s brainchild, NCBS, will one day flourish into a research institute of international repute(By Zafar Iqbal, Ph.D., 19105 Warrior Brook Drive, Germantown, Maryland).
Obaid and his associates’ pioneering work on neurogenetics of fruit fly, Drosophila, has opened up the prospects of an integrated genetic and neurobiological investigation of chemosensory perception.
Im Mar 1984 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
In 2003, the United States National Academy of Sciences
made him a Foreign Associate, citing his "pioneering experiments on the chemical senses of the fruit fly, Drosophila" and noting the following:
In 2006, the Government of India
conferred the Padma Vibhushan
, the second highest civilian award) on him. Earlier he was conferred Padma Bhushan
in 1984.
Career Summary:
player. He studied initially with mathematician and sarodiya Kalyan Mukherjea
and later with Annapurna Devi.
Neurogenetics
Neurogenetics studies the role of genetics in the development and function of the nervous system. It considers neural characteristics as phenotypes , and is mainly based on the observation that the nervous systems of individuals, even of those belonging to the same species, may not be identical...
who has done pioneering work on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster is a species of Diptera, or the order of flies, in the family Drosophilidae. The species is known generally as the common fruit fly or vinegar fly. Starting from Charles W...
. He is still active as a researcher at National Centre for Biological Science, Bangalore http://www.ncbs.res.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=71.
Early life
He was born in Basti, Uttar PradeshBasti, Uttar Pradesh
Basti is a town and a municipal board in Basti district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:LOCATION & BOUNDARIES:- The district lies between the parallels of 26° 23' and 27° 30' North and Latitude and 82° 17' and 83° 20' East longitude. Its maximum length from north to south is about...
, the son of M. A. Qadeer Siddiqi. He gained M.Sc. from AMU Aligarh in 1953 and a Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
in 1961 where he worked in the Department of Genetics. He is married to Asiya Siddiqi (who had served in Dept. of History, AMU Aligarh).
Career
Obaid Siddiqi started his scientific career at the Aligarh Muslim University as a lecturer after graduating from the university. His romance with molecular biology began long before it became the ‘cool’ area of research of modern times. Realizing Obaid’s inclination towards the field, his teacher-cum-colleague Riyasat Khan of AMU’s Botany Department encouraged him to work on mapping of rust-resistance genes in wheat at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi. He then proceeded to work for his PhD at the Department of Genetics at the University of Glasgow. Even before he had completed his degree, Obaid was offered a post-doctoral position at the MIT to work with a giant in genetics fieled, Alan Garen, leaving Glasgow he went to MIT to work on genetics with Alan Garen. They later moved to the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. Together they discovered the suppressors of “nonsense” mutations that led to the discovery of “nonsense” codons, the stop signals in the genetic code.In early seventies, his work with Seymour Benzer
Seymour Benzer
Seymour Benzer was an American physicist, molecular biologist and behavioral geneticist. His career began during the molecular biology revolution of the 1950s, and he eventually rose to prominence in the fields of molecular and behavioral genetics. He led a productive genetics research lab both at...
of the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
led to the identification of several genes that control nerve conduction and synaptic transmission. Obaid and his associates’ pioneering work on neurogenetics of fruit fly, Drosophila, has opened up the prospects of an integrated genetic and neurobiological investigation of chemosensory perception.
Obaid’s desire to return to India was fulfilled when Homi Bhabha of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, invited him to start a molecular biology group at the institute in early 1960s. Obaid recruited top-class scientists and put the TIFR’s molecular biology group on world map of genetics. Later, with the support of government of India, he founded TIFR’s National Center for Biological Sciences at Bangalore. The mandate of this Center is basic research in the frontier areas of biology and currently it has many distinguished scholars working in various fields of science with state-of-the-art facilities testifying that Obaid’s brainchild, NCBS, will one day flourish into a research institute of international repute(By Zafar Iqbal, Ph.D., 19105 Warrior Brook Drive, Germantown, Maryland).
Obaid and his associates’ pioneering work on neurogenetics of fruit fly, Drosophila, has opened up the prospects of an integrated genetic and neurobiological investigation of chemosensory perception.
Im Mar 1984 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
In 2003, the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
made him a Foreign Associate, citing his "pioneering experiments on the chemical senses of the fruit fly, Drosophila" and noting the following:
- His work has increased our understanding of how olfactory information is encoded in the brain. He has also made important contributions to our understanding of DNA transfer and recombination in fungi and bacteria.
In 2006, the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
conferred the Padma Vibhushan
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
, the second highest civilian award) on him. Earlier he was conferred Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
in 1984.
Career Summary:
- National Research Professor,NCBS-TIFR,Bangalore(Presently)
- Founder Director,TIFR National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
- Chancellor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, 2005–2009
- President National Academy of Sciences(NAS), India : 1986-88
- Vice-President: 1983-85
- Council Member NAS : 1974-91
- Member, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), India, 1968- Till date
- Member, National Academy of Sciences, USA, 2003-Till Date
- Sr. Associate. Fellow, Royal Society of London,
- Director: TIFR, National Centre for Biol. Sc., Bangalore, 1993;
- Sherman Fairchild, Distinguished Scholar 81-82, 86;
- Gosney Fellow 72-73,
- Visiting Professor Cambridge Inst. of Tech., USA: 1968, 1970–71;
- Visiting Associate Yale Univ., Dept. of Biophysics in 1966;
- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore:
- Hon. Prof. National Inst. of Advanced Studies, Bangalore:
- INSA, TWAS, Maharashtra Academy of Science.
- Pennsylvania Univ., USA: Post doctoral Fellow 61-62;
- Lallor Foundation Fellow, Cold Spring Harbor Lab., USA, 1961
- Res. Scholar, IARI, Delhi: 1957-58
- Lecturer, AMU Aligarh, 1954–57
Musician
Siddiqui is deeply interested in Indian classical music and is an amateur sarodSarod
The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in the classical music of Hindustan...
player. He studied initially with mathematician and sarodiya Kalyan Mukherjea
Kalyan Mukherjea
Kalyan Kumar Mukherjea was an authority on Indian classical music, particularly the Senia Shahjahanpur Gharana of Sarod. He was also a mathematician.-Early life:...
and later with Annapurna Devi.
Awards
- Sir Syed Ahmad Khan International Award for Life Sciences 2009
- Padma Vibhushan, 2006
- B.C. Roy Award, 2004
- Sir Syed Life Time Achievement Award, AMUAA New York, 2004
- Pride of India Award, AFMI, USA, 2004
- INSA Aryabhata Medal 1992;
- Goyal Prize 1991;
- Birla Smarak Kosh National Award 1989;
- Padma Bhushan 1984;
- Bhatnagar Award 1976;
- Honorary D.Sc. from AMU Aligarh., BHU Banaras & Jamia Hamdard Delhi.
Selected publications
- GAREN A, SIDDIQI O.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1962 Jul 15
- Siddiqi OH.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1963
- Siddiqi O, Benzer S.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976
- Siddiqi, O. (1983) Olfactory Neurogenetics of Drosophila (Oxford, New Delhi).
- Arora K, Rodrigues V, Joshi S, Shanbhag S, Siddiqi O.Nature. 1987
- Siddiqi, O. (1987) Trends Genet. 3, 137-142
- Ayyub, C., Paranjape, J., Rodrigues, V. & Siddiqi, O. (1990) J. Neurogenet. 6, 243-262
- Siddiqi O.Nature. 1999 Nov 18
- Khurana S, Abu Baker MB, Siddiqi O.J Biosci. 2009
- Chakraborty TS, Goswami SP, Siddiqi O.J Neurogenet. 2009
- Iyengar A, Chakraborty TS, Goswami SP, Wu CF, Siddiqi O.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010