Kochi: A post-graduate student from Kerala’s Kochi is all set to interact with a host of Nobel laureates. Niranjana Subrahmanian, a fifth-year Integrated MSc Chemistry student from the Department of Applied Chemistry at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), is among the group of young scientists representing India at the 74th edition of the prestigious Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting to be held in Lindau, Germany, from June 29 to July 4, 2025.

The 74th edition of the coveted academic meeting will focus on Chemistry. More than 30 Nobel Laureates in the discipline will attend the event with about 600 young scientists from around the world.

Niranjana, hailing from Edappally, is among the 29 delegates, mostly research scholars, selected from India for the event. Excited about the selection, Niranjana said she was lucky to have such an opportunity at a young age.

“Unlike usual academic conferences, Lindau meetings allow the delegates to have one-on-one meetings with Nobel laureates. I’m looking forward to meeting some of the recent laureates who won the Nobel prize for their achievements in organocatalysis and click chemistry, in which I’m interested,” Niranjana told Onmanorama.

Niranjana applied for the programme after hearing about it from a faculty member. The Union Government’s Department of Science and Technology, an academic partner of Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, conducted the initial round of selection. The Lindau Meetings selection panel made the final selection. Candidates’ research aptitude was a key criterion for the selection. Niranjana believes the nature of her programme in CUSAT, which emphasises research, helped her win a Lindau spot. She has already published research papers in academic journals.

Last time, Navya Sarah Kurian, a research student in the Department of Physics, CUSAT, was chosen for the meeting.

Daughter of P D Subrahmanian Nampoothiri, a retired government employee turned lawyer, and Sreelatha T M, who works in a private firm, Niranjana plans to do research in Chemistry after her postgraduate studies, as well as pursue her interest in classical dance. She did her schooling in Bhavan's Vidya Mandir, Elamakkara.

Established in 1951, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings are held annually, with the theme alternating between Physics, Chemistry, or Physiology/Medicine. An interdisciplinary meeting takes place every five years, while the Lindau Nobel Meeting in Economic Sciences is held every three years.

Established in 1951, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings provide a globally recognised forum for exchange between Nobel Laureates and young scientists. They inspire scientific generations and build sustainable networks of young scientists worldwide.