In what may be good news for early career researchers from India, the Newton Bhabha Research Link Workshops in association with the Royal Society of Chemistry have come together to erect a platform for detailed research to find a solution at a grassroot level. The first of the six workshops, funded by the British Council, was held at BS Abdur Rahman University on Clean Water through Advanced and Affordable Materials. David F Jenkins from Plymouth University, UK and Dr Vasanthakumari, Director, Polymer NanoTechnology Centre, BS Abdur Rahman University, share their views on this project. Excerpts:
What will the series of workshops be based on?
The workshop which brought together 12 UK and 15 Indian early career researchers saw the participation of leading universities from the UK (Cambridge, Nottingham and Cardiff) and India (IIT-Delhi, Madras and Mandi). These will focus on topics such as human health (antimicrobial resistance, neglected diseases, medicinal chemistry, biomaterials), energy (sustainable fuels, chemicals and energy storage) and environment and sustainability (new materials, nano-materials, water quality, climate, agriculture, and air).
What are the other focus areas in India?
We have applied funding for using a similar technology in other areas. One such area includes using Graphene to detect markers that show susceptibility to diseases such as Alzheimer’s. This would be helpful in countries with an ageing population. Another area of research is to create a GPS-enabled wearable device using nanotechnology that would help in early monitoring of a heart attack and send an SOS to nearby hospitals. In India, the age of people susceptible to a heart attack is 52 whereas the global age for the same is 70 years.
Reach Out: D.F.Jenkins@plymouth.ac.uk