Ankona Datta, a faculty member in the Department of Chemical Sciences at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), has received the James Hoeschele AsBIC Award for her contributions to biological inorganic chemistry.
According to TIFR, the award recognises mid-career researchers whose work advances the field across the Asia-Pacific region. Datta was selected for research that uses biomimetic and coordination chemistry to develop approaches to molecular imaging and metal ion sensing.
Datta’s research brings together chemistry and biology to help scientists study complex molecular systems. Molecular imaging allows researchers to observe biological processes at the molecular level, while metal ion sensing helps identify and investigate metal ions that play important roles in living systems. Such work can contribute to a better understanding of biological processes and support the development of new research tools.
Ankona Datta's journey
A chemistry graduate of IIT Kharagpur, Datta completed her PhD at Princeton University in 2006. She subsequently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, before joining TIFR in 2010. Her research interests include chemical biology and molecular imaging.
Datta will be formally honoured at the 12th Asia-Pacific Conference on Bioinorganic Chemistry (AsBIC), scheduled to take place in Jaipur. She is also set to deliver an award lecture at the conference.
The recognition highlights her contribution to an interdisciplinary field that explores how chemistry can help answer questions about biological systems.
