Aravinda Chakravarti

Summary

Aravinda Chakravarti (born 6 February 1954, Calcutta) is a human geneticist and expert in computational biology, and Director of the Center For Human Genetics & Genomics at New York University.[3] He was the 2008 President of the American Society of Human Genetics.[2] Chakravarti became a co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Genome Research in 1995,[4] and of the Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics' in 2005.[5]

Aravinda Chakravarti
Aravinda Chakravarti in 2018
Born (1954-02-06) 6 February 1954 (age 70)[2]
Alma materIndian Statistical Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
AwardsWilliam Allan Award (2013)
Scientific career
FieldsGenetics
InstitutionsNew York University, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, University of Pittsburgh
Thesis The Utility of Linked Marker Genes in Genetic Counseling[1]  (1979)
Doctoral advisorMasatoshi Nei
Websitearavindachakravartilab.org

Early life and education edit

Aravinda Chakravarti was born in Calcutta in 1954, his family's third son. Their childhood revolved around the importance of education,[6] and he attended the Calcutta Boys' School (CBS).[1]

Chakravarti received his Bachelor of Statistics in 1974 from the Indian Statistical Institute in Calcutta. He moved to the United States, where he studied with Masatoshi Nei,[6] receiving his PhD in human genetics from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 1979.[2][7] Chakravarti took a postdoctoral position at the University of Washington in Seattle until 1980.[2][8]

Career edit

Chakravarti was a member of the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh from 1980 – 1993. In 1994 he joined the faculty of Case Western Reserve University as the James H. Jewell Professor of Genetics.[9]

In 2000, Chakravarti joined the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as the Henry J. Knott Professor and the inaugural Director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins. From 2007-2018 he served as director of the Center for Complex Disease Genomics at Johns Hopkins.[9]

Chakravarti became director of the Center For Human Genetics & Genomics at New York University on 2 April 2, 2018.[3]

Research edit

Chakravarti has made contributions to human genetics in areas including population, statistical genetics, and the genetics of complex disease. He has developed important genomics methods that are now used worldwide, such as linkage disequilibrium mapping,[4] His research has contributed to understanding linkage disequilibrium and genetic variation. He has combined population genetics and genomic technology to effectively address problems in medical genetics.[6][10]

Chakravarti helped to identify the genetic mutation involved in cystic fibrosis and discovered a genetic variant related to autism. His methods have been used to identify recombination hotspots in hemoglobinopathies.[4] Chakravarti also studies sudden cardiac death.[2]

His team has studied Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) and determined the key genes and non-coding mutations responsible,[4][11] demonstrating that the disease is caused by mutations of multiple genes. HSCR is now considered a model for the study of complex disease, in part due to Chakravarti's development of experimental techniques.[2] This research may help researchers to better understand complex diseases such as schizophrenia and autism.[11]

Chakravarti has been influential in genetics research projects including the Human Genome Project, 1000 Genomes and HapMap.[2] As a member of the advisory council of the National Human Genome Research Institute, Chakravarti chaired the Human Genome Project from 1997 to 2000. He was involved in designing the population genetics sampling plan for the 1000 Genomes Project.[4]

Awards edit

Gallery edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Chakravarti, Aravinda (6 March 2014). "2013 William Allan Award: My Multifactorial Journey". American Journal of Human Genetics. 94 (3): 326–333. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.11.014. ISSN 0002-9297. PMC 3951947. PMID 24607382.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "On the cover: Aravinda Chakravarti". The American Journal of Human Genetics. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Renowned Geneticist to Lead Center for Human Genetics & Genomics at NYU Langone". NYU Langone News. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "American Society of Human Genetics Honors Aravinda Chakravarti, Ph.D., with William Allan Award". American Society of Human Genetics. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Review of Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics, Volume 6: 2005., Aravinda Chakravarti, Eric Green". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 81 (1): 61. 2006. doi:10.1086/503948. ISSN 0033-5770. JSTOR 10.1086/503948. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Eichler, Evan E. (6 March 2014). "2013 William Allan Award Introduction: Aravinda Chakravarti". American Journal of Human Genetics. 94 (3): 324–325. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.11.013. ISSN 0002-9297. PMC 3951927.
  7. ^ "Aravinda Chakravarti". Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Who Are We? Aravinda Chakravarti, PhD". Usher 1F Collaborative. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Aravinda Chakravarti". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  10. ^ Zwick, Michael E.; Cutler, David J.; Chakravarti, Aravinda (1 September 2000). "Patterns of Genetic Variation in Mendelian and Complex Traits". Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics. 1 (1): 387–407. doi:10.1146/annurev.genom.1.1.387. ISSN 1527-8204. PMID 11701635. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Rare Gut Condition a Model for Study of Genetic Diseases". NYU Langone News. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  12. ^ Lee, Charles; Antonarakis, Stylianos E.; Hamosh, Ada; Burn, John (2021). "Three decades of the Human Genome Organization". American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A. 185 (11): 3314–3321. doi:10.1002/ajmg.a.62512. ISSN 1552-4833. PMC 9293206. PMID 34581472. S2CID 238201978.
  13. ^ "Chen Award". HUGO International. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  14. ^ Davis, Tinsley H. (28 May 2019). "Profile of Aravinda Chakravarti". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116 (22): 10608–10610. Bibcode:2019PNAS..11610608D. doi:10.1073/pnas.1906109116. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 6561187. PMID 31061127.
  15. ^ "Two Johns Hopkins Scientists Elected to National Academy of Sciences - 04/30/2015". Johns Hopkins Medicine. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Prof. Aravinda Chakravarti". Indian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 11 February 2022.