Vijay Chandru

Academic Entrepreneur

Vijay Chandru is an accomplished academic and entrepreneur currently serving as an Hon Visiting Professor at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bengaluru, India, since August 2023. He has a distinguished background in engineering and computer science, having taught for over 23 years and earned his PhD in the mathematics of decision sciences from MIT in 1982.1

Academic and Professional Background

Teaching and Research: Chandru has held positions at prestigious institutions, including Purdue University and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). His research focuses on computational mathematics, optimization, geometry, logic, and biology.1
Entrepreneurship: In 1998, he co-founded the Simputer project, which aimed to create accessible computing technology. He later established Strand Life Sciences, a company that specializes in life science informatics and personalized medicine, capturing a significant share of the global market for analytics software in research biology.1

Current Roles

In addition to his role at NCBS, Chandru is involved in several initiatives:

Visiting Scientist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Executive Advisor at ARTPARK (AI and Robotics Technology Park) at IISc.
Co-Founder of CrisprBits Private Limited and Yantri Labs Inc.
Commissioner for the Lancet Citizen's Commission on reimagining India's health system.1

Chandru's work emphasizes scientific leadership and the application of technology to improve healthcare outcomes, particularly through affordable precision medicine.1