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INSPIRATION | Caroline Paul |
A man on a
Mission
D
r. Vipin Babu, self-described
as a man on ‘mission to save
the universe with pipettes’,
at his Twitter handle, @LordVipin,
is indeed a man on a mission. Armed
with a firm determination and solid
vision, he is conquering heights af-
ter heights. Point this out to him and
with his trademark humility, he is
quick to tell you that he still has a
long way to go! In this exclusive in-
terview with Gyan Vitaranam, Dr.
Vipin elucidates what drives him
and how he faces setbacks with ease,
grace and panache.
1. You recently completed your
Ph.D. Congratulations on
your success. Could you tell
us a little bit about this jour-
ney?
A: Thank you. I will trace my journey
starting with my school years,
which were spent in Kerala. I
completed my schooling from
St. Kuriakose Senior Secondary
School, located in the small, but
lively, town of Kaduthuruthy.
Later, I moved to Bangalore to
pursue my Bachelor’s and then
to the United Kingdom for my
Master’s. My graduate studies
brought me to Germany, where I
was conferred Ph.D. in Genetics
from the University of Cologne in
| |GYAN VitaranamOctober 15 - November 14, 2015 7

2. | |GYAN Vitaranam October 15 - November 14, 20158
June 2015.
2. What piqued your interest in Genet-
ics? What is your contribution to this
field?
A: My journey began with a question - ‘What
is life?’ From the ‘On the Origin of Species’
by Charles Darwin in 1859, to the discov-
ery of DNA by Friedrich Miescher in 1869,
to the identification of DNA as the carrier
of genetic information by Ostwald Avery
in 1944, to the identification of its double-
helical structure in 1953 by Watson and
Crick, to the sequencing of human genome
in the 2000s, it’s been a fascinating journey
understanding life and the way it is inher-
ited. Yet, there is so much more we have to
answer, so much more we have to unravel.
And this is why I was drawn to this area.
Currently, I work in the lab of Prof. Bjorn
Schumacher, in Cologne Cluster of Ex-
cellence in Cellular Stress Responses in
Aging-associated Diseases (CECAD) Re-
search Institute. The research focus of our
lab is to identify the role of DNA damage in
aging and diseases. My work focuses on a
DNA repair mechanism called Nucleotide
Excision Repair (NER), which repairs the
DNA damage caused by ultraviolet light
from sunlight - the leading cause for skin
cancer. The wonderful news is that it is for
their studies on DNA repair mechanisms
that 2015 Nobel Prize for Chemistry was
awarded to Aziz Sancar, Paul Modrich and
Thomas Lindahl. Aziz Sancar was award-
ed the prize for his contributions to NER,
the repair mechanism I also work on, dem-
onstrating the significance of the field of
research we are engaged in. During my
Ph.D., I identified some genes that were
involved in the repair of UV-induced DNA
damage, which improved our understand-
ing of the DNA repair process. My research
group was also the first to demonstrate
that organisms activate genetic mecha-
nisms that prolong life, when encountered
with persisting DNA damage.
3. What is next on the cards for you?
A: I am working as a post-doctoral research-
er in the same lab where I completed my
Ph.D., and aim to complete a couple of proj-
ects that I started during PhD. Meanwhile,
I am searching for another post-doctoral po-
sition in academia or industry, where I can
use the skills that I acquired in the past few
years.
4. Could you please describe how you
mapped out your career?
A: All my life, I have adhered to a meticulous
planning strategy, which helped me reach
where I am today. When, towards the end
of my schooling years, I discovered my pas-
sion for genetics, I moved to Bangalore,
which was growing as a Biotech hub at that
time. Moreover, Bangalore University pro-
vided the opportunity to do a ‘triple-major’
B.Sc., course in Genetics, Biochemistry
and Biotechnology, laying firm theoretical
groundwork. Hoping to get some hands-on
experience, I decided to pursue my Master’s
abroad. After thorough research, I zeroed
in on the Molecular Genetics program from
Leicester, as it had an appealing course
structure. Not only that, I found that it
was here Sir Alec Jeffreys discovered the
technique of DNA finger-printing and con-
tinues to conduct his research. I completed
my Master’s thesis in Prof. Ian C. Eperon’s
lab and worked on a very interesting phe-
nomenon exhibited by some selected genes
called ‘Exon Repetition’, thereby fulfilling
my dreams to do some ‘real science’.
In line with pursuing my dream of building
a career in science, I decided to pursue my
doctoral research in Germany, one of the
best countries, if not the best in Europe,
for life science research. After a meticulous
selection process, I was awarded a fellow-
ship by the International Graduate School
for Disease Health and Development (IGS
DHD), University of Cologne. The beauty of
this program was that it allowed me to do
short-term research projects in three differ-
ent labs before choosing a lab to do my PhD
dissertation. Eventually, I joined the lab of
Prof. Bjorn Schumacher in the CECAD Re-
search Centre for Aging Research.
6. For those hoping to follow your foot-
steps, what advice would you impart?
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3. | |GYAN VitaranamOctober 15 - November 14, 2015 9
A: I strongly encourage anyone with a passion
for science to pursue a career in it, as we
are constantly trying to push the boundar-
ies of human knowledge. At the same time,
I have to point out that it’s a profession that
requires a lot of dedication and persever-
ance, as behind every successful finding,
there are plenty of failed experiments. But
that is also the beauty of it, quoting James
Joyce (although a bit out of context): ‘To
live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to create life
out of life.”
7. As a globetrotter, what advice would
you give to students who wish to pur-
sue their studies abroad?
A: I am reminded of another quote by James
Joyce: “Real adventures, I reflected, do not
happen to people who remain at home; they
must be sought abroad.” Having said that,
moving places, especially if you move alone,
gives you quite a handful of issues to deal
with, both emotional and practical. It in-
volves leaving your comfort zone and com-
ing face-to-face with new situations and
challenges. Even though keeping in touch
with friends and family back home is not
hard in this digital era, you still miss being
there during important occasions. There-
fore, it is not an easy decision to make and
I would advise anyone who wishes to study
abroad, to really think through it. However,
the experience can be a steep learning curve
and if done properly, will help the student
grow in manifold ways.
Based on my experience, I can give some tips
that may help ease the process. I recommend
students to get in touch with people who al-
ready study in the country or university of
their choice, by contacting them personally
or joining a Facebook group. This is essential
as they could help understand the country or
institute better. Also, this will help build con-
nections and enhance your network, which
can be instrumental in helping you settle
into your new life abroad. You can also learn
a bit about the place, its culture, basics of the
local language, anything that would make
your adaptation easier. Once there, make an
effort to befriend people from other countries
as well, as it would significantly enrich our
understanding of the cultures around.
Dr. Babu with his lab mates in Germany
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4. | |GYAN Vitaranam October 15 - November 14, 201510
8. Where does your ambition and drive
come from?
A: My ambition and drive stem from a desire to
prove my supporters right and critics wrong.
Although it might sound like a bit of a cliché,
my parents have been a great inspiration and
an incredible support. If you are from a typical
middle class family, you are expected to study
hard and then find a secure job with a stable
income, after your degree. But when I chose a
slightly unconventional career path, my par-
ents showed faith in me and chose to stand by
me, and that was a great motivational factor.
I also got support from a few teachers during
my college days.
Another incident, which I am not particular-
ly proud of, was when a teacher, during my
school days, told me that an interest in biology
would not take me anywhere in life. I wrote
down those words on my notebook and prom-
ised myself that I would prove him wrong.
9. What would you attribute your success to?
A: Life is not a smooth sail. What helped me sur-
vive the tough and testing times was determi-
nation and self-belief. It is natural that you
face difficulties, both expected and unexpect-
ed, when you set high goals for yourself. For
example, it was quite challenging to find a ful-
ly funded Ph.D., position, as I was an in-
ternational student in the UK. While my
search was on, I used to work in a couple
of labs as a voluntary research assistant
to gain research experience during the
day, while I worked in a restaurant at
night to meet my living expenses. Also,
completing my Ph.D., was challenging in
itself, as it involved tough experiments,
non-optimized protocols, non-interpreta-
ble observations or because results were
slow to come by or contrary to what you
had anticipated. During tough times, I
hang on to my motto, which is: ‘This too
shall pass’. The key to overcoming prob-
lems and achieving your goals is to have
faith in yourself and give it your best shot.
10. You come across as very humble and
grounded. How did you make sure
your success didn’t get to you?
A: The more I learnt, the more I realized
how much more was left for me to learn,
both as an individual and also as part of
the scientific community. This keeps me
grounded. Also, I had the chance to meet
some accomplished scientists. After see-
ing how humble and down-to-earth they
were, I couldn’t help admire and emulate
their attitude.
Many thanks for sending the latest issue of GV. It is refreshing to read
articles about pleasant things happening in India and good, useful
advices to youngsters, instead of the presstitutes (both electronic and
print) only projecting, rape, murder, terrorist acts, dirty statement from
politicians, all the 24 x 7 projecting as if India is only full of these. What
kind of articles GV would like-technical, economy, management?
M.K. Sridhar, E-mail: mksridhar2004@gmail.com
Thanks for sending me the current issue. All the articles including the
historical one gave me lot of information and I genuinely wish good luck
for your magazine. Good job and thanks for giving me this opportunity
to be a part of it.
Moumita Mukherjee , E-mail: 93moumita2016@gmail.com
Thanks a lot for mailing the current E-edition of GYAN Vitaranam. (Sep.-
Oct. ‘15.). Also for publishing my article on ‘Eye Care’ under the topic
Health in pages 65 & 66. ‘Teaching English’ and ‘General Knowledge’
articles are interesting for general readers in particular. The Kushwant
Singh article too is well presented. Too good and informative, well
brought-out!
S. Mahalingam , E-mail: smali4619@yahoo.co.in
GYAN Vitaranam (September 15 - October 14, 2015)
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