In keeping with the collaborative philosophy of InStem, our Collaborative Science Chairs have enabled rapid expansion of cutting edge activities on campus. Collaborative Science Chairs (CSC) are accomplished leaders in their field of research and permanent faculty at institutions elsewhere in the world. CSCs work on collaborative projects with scientists at InStem, which extend the scope of the participating laboratories current work significantly.

The current Collaborative Science Chairs at InStem are

• Jim Spudich (Stanford), laid the foundations of and continues to be actively associated with the Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease theme, which includes inStem investigators Minhaj Sirajuddin and Dhandapany Perundurai and Visiting Faculty and theme coordinator Sivaraj Shivaramakrishnan (University of Minnesota).
• Ashok Venkitaraman (Cambridge), leads a major collaborative programme with the NCBS and University of Cambridge on Chemical Biology and Therapeutics at inStem.
• Mahendra Rao (New York) leads the effort from inStem on the multi-institutional “Accelerator Program for Discovery in Brain Disorders using Stem cells”, which focuses on complex disorders of mental illness in India, a partnership involving inStem, NCBS and five clinics at the NIMHANS.

These collaborations have been integral to our interdisciplinary efforts to generate a vibrant atmosphere of international exchanges as well as to give strong impetus to programmes on campus.