Obaid Siddiqi

Obaid Siddiqi was a renowned Indian scientist and the founder-director of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore. He was a pioneer in the field of molecular biology, neurogenetics, and behaviour genetics. He used the fruit fly Drosophila as a model organism to study the genetic basis of sensory perception, neural signalling, and learning and memory. Siddiqi was born on January 7, 1932 in Basti, a town in Uttar Pradesh. He completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in botany from Aligarh Muslim University. He then joined the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi where he worked on wheat genetics. He developed an interest in microbial genetics and moved to the University of Glasgow for his Ph.D. under the supervision of Guido Pontecorvo. He completed his thesis on the genetics of Aspergillus in 1958. He returned to India and joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai as a research associate. He was invited by Homi Bhabha, the founder of TIFR, to set up a molecular biology unit at the institute. He established a world-class laboratory and recruited many young scientists to work with him. He also initiated collaborations with international scientists such as Seymour Benzer and Francis Crick. Siddiqi's research focused on understanding how genes control the development and function of the nervous system and how they influence behaviour. He discovered several mutants of Drosophila that had defects in smell, taste, vision, hearing, or learning. He also identified the genes and molecules involved in these processes. He developed novel techniques and methods to analyse the neural circuits and pathways that mediate sensory perception and memory formation. Siddiqi was also instrumental in creating a new centre for biological research in Bangalore. He became the founding director of NCBS in 1991 and moved there with his team. He continued his research at NCBS until his retirement in 2002. He also mentored many students and postdocs who went on to become leaders in their fields. Siddiqi was a recipient of many awards and honors for his contributions to science. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1984. He was also a member of the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Third World Academy of Sciences, and the US National Academy of Sciences. He received the Padma Bhushan in 1984 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006 from the Government of India. He also received honorary doctorates from several universities. Siddiqi died on July 26, 2013 at the age of 81 in Bangalore. He was hit by a car while crossing a road near his home. He is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren. He is remembered as one of the greatest Indian scientists of the 20th century who made lasting impacts on biology and genetics.