Kannur University appoints M. Haridas as the first Emeritus Professor

His vast experience enabled him to establish the first protein crystallography research group in Kerala.

M. Haridas, a former Professor in the Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University and a Senior Researcher at the Inter-University Center for Biosciences, Kannur University, has been appointed as the first Emeritus Professor in the Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University.

Haridas holds an M.Sc. in Life Sciences with a specialization in Industrial Microbiology from Sardar Patel University, Gujarat. After completing his M.Sc. in Life Sciences, he continued his doctoral and post-doctoral studies in Structural Biology at AIIMS New Delhi and Massey University, New Zealand.

He was the first biologist in India to be trained in x-ray crystallography of single crystals of proteins. This experience enabled him to establish the first protein crystallography research group in Kerala. He discovered protein crystal structures in many animals and plants. He began by developing experimental models to lay the theoretical basis for the fermentation of medicines in Ayurveda. His work also paved the way for the discovery of new drug molecules in modern medicine.