Kalamassery: Dr Santhini Pulikkal Veettil, a researcher based in Kerala, has been selected for the prestigious Ramalingaswami Fellowship of the Department of Biotechnology under Government of India which carries an amount of Rs 1.25 crore.

The fellowship is for Santhini’s project dealing with developing a sunscreen free of side-effects using a chemical called Dipirolo benzoquinone which can absorb ultraviolet rays. Dipirolo benzoquinone is isolated from a fungus named Aspergillus, which is found in the depths of the sea.

Santhini had earlier carried out post-doctoral research for three years on the subject at Leuven University in Belgium. Currently, she is continuing work on the project at CUSAT (Cochin University of Science and Technology) in Kochi. The project will be implemented by Santhini along with Dr T P Sajeevan, Associate Professor at CUSAT’s National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health.

Ramalingaswami Fellowship was started to attract Indians carrying out high quality research abroad to Indian institutions.

Santhini is the daughter of P V Sankaran and C V Syamala of Madikkai, Kanhangad in Kasaragod district. She is married to Dr Shan Dev, and Assistant Professor at CUSAT.