Three Annamalai University faculty get funding worth ₹3.4 crore from Centre

Three faculty members of the Department of Advanced Study in Marine Biology of Annamalai University have received funding worth ₹3.4 crore from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.

The funding falls under the Deep Ocean Mission, a flagship research programme of the Ministry, and supports three major research projects aimed at advancing scientific knowledge and strengthening marine biodiversity, taxonomy, biomedical research, deep sea virology, and aquatic health.

According to a university official, P. Murugesan, Associate Professor of Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, has been sanctioned ₹1.75 crore, with a focus on undertaking integrative taxonomic approach of deep-sea polychaetes and identifying and documenting undiscovered species and depositing them in reference museums to provide baseline information and support benthologists.

The second recipient is M. Arumugam, Associate Professor of the same centre, who has received ₹85.00 lakh towards “Development of Potential Microbial Metabolites Library from Deep Sea” by building a comprehensive library of promising marine microbial compounds that could offer significant benefits to society.

Prof. A. Gopalakrishnan, Assistant Professor of the Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, has received funding of ₹80 lakh towards the broad objective of studying “Pathogenic and Zoonotic Viruses and Microsporideans of Deep Sea and Coastal Waters of the East Coast of India, including Andaman Waters.”

The research focuses on identifying virulent and mutant strains of viral pathogens affecting finfish and shellfish.

The funding is expected to greatly enhance the university’s efforts in driving impactful research and strengthening its contribution to scientific and technological advancements, the official said.