Mysuru: Dr. Shashanka K. Prasad, Associate Professor, Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (JSS AHER), Mysuru, has been conferred the Kalam Medal of Excellence in Clinical Sciences at the Next Gene Biosciences Summit-2026 held in Gurgaon on Sept.19.

The award, presented by Dr. Shriram Nene, renowned Cardiothoracic Surgeon & Investor and

Dr. Jithendra Kumar, former Managing Director, BIRAC, Advisor, R&D, IIT Hyderabad & Professor of Practice, IISER Mohali, recognises Dr. Shashanka’s contributions to interdisciplinary research integrating Computational Biology, Artificial Intelligence and Biomedical Sciences, particularly in cancer diagnostics and drug discovery.

Dr. Shashanka’s research encompasses AI/ML and Quantum Computing applications in Cancer Biology, Molecular Medicine and Therapeutic Development. His professional distinctions include Ambassador, European Association for Cancer Research (since 2019), Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (2022), and memberships of the Royal Society of Biology (2022) and Royal Society of Chemistry (2024). He is also serving as Organising Secretary of the CSIR-sponsored International Conference on “AI-Driven Drug Discovery: Bridging Data, Molecules, and Medicine” (ICAIDD-2026), scheduled at JSS AHER, Mysuru, from Oct. 15 to 17, 2026.

The recognition marks a significant milestone in Dr. Shashanka Prasad’s research career and highlights the growing contribution of interdisciplinary Indian research to technology-driven healthcare and drug discovery.