Tirupati: The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Tirupati, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and DAAD Research Ambassador Network representing Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, hosted a grand Early Career Research (ECR) symposium at IISER Tirupati on Saturday.

Themed ‘Integrative Biosciences – Data-Driven Discovery’, the symposium featured talks and discussions on the convergence of biology and data science. Key topics included personalised medicine, disease prediction, and the pivotal role of data science in scientific innovation.

Speakers included Dr Nagaraj Ganapathi (IIT Hyderabad) and Dr Sreya Srinivasan (Harvard University), who elaborated on their research in biomedical engineering. Dr Ambrish Saxena and Dr Raghunath O Ramabhadran (IISER Tirupati) discussed drug discovery, translational science, and intellectual property rights, while Dr Shruti S Vembar (IBAB, Bengaluru) delivered a lecture on molecular biology and data mining.

IISER Registrar Inderpreet Singh Kohli underlined the importance of nurturing global research networks and encouraged young scientists to contribute further to the advancement of science and technology.

The event was coordinated by DAAD Research Ambassadors Dr Vasudharani Devanathan (IISER Tirupati) and Dr Panchacharam Mariappan (IIT Tirupati). Over 200 students and faculty members from institutions including Apollo University, Sri Venkateswara University, Sri Padmavati Women’s University, IIT Tirupati, and IISER Tirupati participated, exchanging ideas and fostering collaboration.