Strengthening Indo-Japan Collaboration: UoH Researchers Awarded Prestigious LOTUS Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships

Two researchers from the University of Hyderabad, Ms. Shriya Sharma and Dr. Mohammad Yusuf Zamal, have been selected for prestigious research initiatives in Japan. Ms. Shriya Sharma has been awarded the LOTUS Japan Doctoral Program fellowship for one year, while Dr. Mohammad Yusuf Zamal has been selected for the LOTUS-ASPIRE Postdoctoral Program for a duration of three years. Fully supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency, these highly regarded programs aim to foster high-quality scientific collaboration and promote researcher mobility between India and Japan.

Under the guidance of Prof. S. Rajagopal from the University of Hyderabad, Ms. Shriya Sharma will undertake her one-year research project at Kyoto University, Japan, in Prof. Takashi Yamano’s laboratory. Her project, titled “The Role of Thioredoxin Proteins in the Functional Organisation of the Thylakoid Membrane under High Light in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii,” will investigate the functions of thioredoxin proteins (Trx-M, X, and Z) in Chlamydomonas. Utilizing CRISPR editing technology and advanced molecular tools, the study will explore the mechanisms of photoprotection in algae.

Similarly, Dr. Mohammad Yusuf Zamal, under the co-guidance of Prof. S. Rajagopal and Prof. Jian-Ren Shen—a leading authority in membrane structural biology at Okayama University, Japan—will work on “Comparative Structural Determination and Environmental Remodeling of PSI and PSII Photosystem Supercomplexes in Evolutionarily Distinct Dinoflagellates, Fugacium kawagutii and Lepidodinium chlorophorum, Using Cryo-Electron Microscopy and Cryo-Tomography.” This research will establish a comprehensive framework linking evolutionary plastid diversity with photosystem organization and environmental acclimation, generating new insights relevant to photosynthesis research, marine ecology, and algal biotechnology.

Additionally, Prof. S. Rajagopal will visit the Japanese laboratories for one month as part of the initiative. This achievement underscores the University of Hyderabad’s commitment to academic excellence and international collaboration, further strengthening its global research presence.