Venkatraman awarded a 2017 Faculty for the Future Fellowship

04-17-2017

Writer(s): Yuk Fai Leung

Prahatha Venkatraman, a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences, has successfully renewed and has been awarded a 2017 Faculty for the Future Fellowship from the Schlumberger Foundation in recognition of her leadership capabilities and scientific talents. The fellowship supports women scientists from developing countries through one-year grants of up to $50,000 to enable them to pursue doctoral and post-doctoral studies in scientific and engineering disciplines at leading universities. After completion of their studies, fellows return to their home countries to contribute to economic, social and technological advancement through further research, teaching and serving as role models for other women, according to the foundation. Venkatraman, who is from Chennai, India, is a part of Professor Yuk Fai Leung's research team at Purdue University <https://www.bio.purdue.edu/lab/leung/index.html>. She is working with a zebrafish model to find new ways to improve vision and treat retinal degeneration. She was awarded with the same fellowship from 2014 to 2016, and was one of the 169 candidates who renewed their fellowships in 2017. These students are pursuing PhD or post-doctoral studies at 114 host universities in 17 countries, performing research into a wide range of disciplines related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). More information is available on the website of the Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future.