Dr. Kumarasamy Thangaraj stands as a preeminent figure in the field of population genetics and human evolutionary biology, currently serving as a CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. Formerly the Director of the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (2020-2023) and Director with Additional Charge at the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (2022), his distinguished career spans over three decades of groundbreaking research in genetic anthropology. He earned his PhD in Genetics from the University of Madras in 1996, building upon earlier degrees including an M.Phil. in Genetics and M.Sc. in Zoology from the same institution, establishing the foundation for his remarkable contributions to understanding human genetic diversity. His leadership extends beyond his laboratory as he previously served as President of the Indian Society of Human Genetics (2011-2015) and founded the Society for Mitochondrial Research and Medicine.
Dr. Thangaraj's research has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of South Asian population history with several landmark discoveries published in premier journals including Nature, Science, and Nature Genetics. His team's seminal 2005 Science paper revealed that Andaman Island tribal populations represent the first modern humans who migrated out of Africa via a southern coastal route approximately 65,000 years ago, establishing a critical pathway for human dispersal. In his highly influential 2009 Nature study, he demonstrated that contemporary Indian populations derive from two distinct ancestral groups—Ancestral South Indians (ASI) and Ancestral North Indians (ANI)—a finding that revolutionized the field of population genetics in South Asia. His subsequent research showing that ASI and ANI admixed 2000-4000 years ago, followed by strict endogamy that increased population-specific recessive diseases, published in Nature Genetics (2017), has profound implications for medical genetics and public health strategies in the region.
As an elected Fellow of all major Indian science academies including the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, and National Academy of Biological Sciences, Dr. Thangaraj has significantly influenced both scientific research and policy development in India. His editorial roles with prestigious journals such as Mitochondrion, as Associate Editor of BMC Medical Genetics, and Human Genetics have helped shape the discourse in genetic research, while his receipt of the JC Bose Fellowship recognizes his exceptional contributions to science. With over 300 publications and more than 20,000 citations, his work continues to explore the intersection of traditional medicine and genomics, particularly through his research on the genetic basis of Ayurvedic prakritis. Dr. Thangaraj's pioneering investigations into cardiovascular diseases, mitochondrial disorders, and male infertility remain at the forefront of medical genetics, ensuring his enduring legacy in decoding the genetic architecture of human health and disease across diverse populations.
