Ph.D. Programme at MDRF
The Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF), one of India’s foremost institutions dedicated to pioneering diabetes research, invites enthusiastic and driven scholars to apply for its esteemed Ph.D. Programme. Established in 1996 and recognised as a Centre of Excellence in diabetes research, MDRF provides an exceptional academic environment supported by cutting-edge laboratories, experienced faculty, and a strong culture of scientific publishing.
Why Choose MDRF for Your Ph.D.?
World-Class Research Setting
Work closely with distinguished scientists specialising in diabetes, endocrinology, genomics, nutrition, epidemiology, and public health.
State-of-the-Art Facilities
Access advanced research infrastructure including molecular biology laboratories, biostatistics and bioinformatics units, clinical research centres, and population study resources.
Collaborative Research Culture
Engage in national and international collaborations with leading universities, global research networks, and funding agencies.
Expert Mentorship
Benefit from guidance by senior researchers with extensive experience in basic, clinical, and translational research and a strong track record of publications.
Comprehensive Training
Gain practical experience in study design, data analysis, scientific writing, grant preparation, and presenting research at conferences.
Our Ph.D. Guide
Dr. V. Mohan
Dr. R.M. Anjana
Dr. Radha Venkatesan
Dr. R. Guha Pradeepa
Dr. S. Shobana
Dr. A. Amutha
Dr. Nagaraj Manickam
Dr. M. Balasubramanyam
Current Ph.D. Students
University of Madras
| S.No. | Name | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ms. S. Hemavathy | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 2 | Mr. V. Saravanakumar | Dr. M. Nagaraj |
| 3 | Ms. Bhavani Sundari B. | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 4 | Ms. Vidyulatha Ashok | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 5 | Ms. Sneha J | Dr. Radha Vekatesan |
| 6 | Mr. Yoga Prabhu S | Dr. Radha Vekatesan |
| 7 | Ms. Gayathri R. | Dr. R. Guha Pradeepa |
| 8 | Ms. Parkavi K | Dr. S. Shobana |
| 9 | Ms. Anusha R | Dr. M. Nagaraj |
| 10 | Ms. Manasa V S | Dr. R. Guha Pradeepa |
| 11 | Ms. Ashwini K | Dr. S. Shobana |
| 12 | Mr. Mohanraj K | Dr. S. Shobana |
| 13 | Ms. Shyama Reji | Dr. A. Amutha |
| 14 | Mr. Balaguru R. | Dr. R. Guhapradeepa |
| 15 | Ms. Keshikha V | Dr. A. Amutha |
| 16 | Ms. G. Umasankari | Dr. A. Amutha |
| 17 | Ms. Divya R. | Dr. M. Nagaraj |
SASTRA University
| S.No. | Name | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Ms. Mookambika Ramya Bai R | Dr. V. Mohan |
Deakin University
| S.No. | Name | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Mr. Sairaj Paadukana | Dr. R. Guha Pradeepa |
| 20 | Ms. Catherine Lily Vincy | Dr. R. M. Anjana |
Past Ph.D. Students
University of Madras
| S.No. | Name | Completed Date | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Adaikala Koteswari | 24.07.07 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 2 | Dr. K.S. Vimaleswaran | 14.12.07 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 3 | Dr. Sampath Kumar | 26.02.08 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 4 | Dr. D. Anitha | 14.05.08 | Dr. M. Rema |
| 5 | Dr. S. Ramprasad | 18.09.08 | Dr. M. Rema |
| 6 | Dr. R. Guha Pradeepa | 23.09.08 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 7 | Dr. R.M. Sathya | 12.11.08 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 8 | Dr. K. Gokulakrishnan | 16.04.09 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 9 | Dr. V. Srinivasan | 16.04.09 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 10 | Dr. D. Bodhini | 28.07.09 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 11 | Dr. Sameer Mahmood | 30.06.10 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 12 | Dr. Anuradha Shekher | 18.08.10 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 13 | Dr. S. Poongothai | 30.11.10 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 14 | Dr. Sandhya Narsimhan | 13.09.11 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 15 | Dr. Arun Shastry | 27.03.12 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 16 | Dr. Nithya Kalyani | 17.01.12 | Dr. M. Rema |
| 17 | Dr. Ashok Ayyappa | 04.10.12 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 18 | Dr. R. Rajalakshmi | 17.12.12 | Dr. M. Rema / Dr. V. Mohan |
| 19 | Dr. Finny Monickaraj | 28.03.13 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 20 | Dr. M. Chidambaram | 29.04.13 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 21 | Dr. Ramya Kandaswamy | 24.03.14 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 22 | Dr. Anjana Mohan | 22.08.13 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 23 | Dr. Amutha A. | 16.01.14 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 24 | Dr. K. Indulekha | 25.02.15 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 25 | Dr. Surendar J | 28.01.15 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 26 | Dr. Jahnavi Kesavamatham | 21.07.15 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 27 | Dr. K. Balamurugan | 29.06.15 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 28 | Dr. S. Raji | 12.04.16 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 29 | Dr. Sonya J. | 05.07.16 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 30 | Dr. S. Aravind | 08.06.16 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 31 | Dr. V. Vijaychandrika | 31.01.17 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 32 | Dr. Bhavatharini Balaji | 18.07.17 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 33 | Dr. N. Sowmya | 02.01.18 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 34 | Dr. C. Sathish Kumar | 23.07.19 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 35 | Dr. P. Prabu | 09.01.20 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 36 | Dr. Gautam Pandey | 11.02.20 | Dr. K. Gokulakrishnan |
| 37 | Dr. Liju Samuel | 02.09.20 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 38 | Dr. Gnana Prakash V. | 16.12.20 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 39 | Dr. R. Jayashri | 17.05.21 | Dr. Guha Pradeepa |
| 40 | Dr. Pramod Kumar T.A. | 21.10.20 | Dr. Guha Pradeepa |
| 41 | Dr. T.S. Mehreen Begum | 16.07.21 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 42 | Dr. Sundaramoorthy Chandru | 20.07.21 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 43 | Ms. J. Isaivani | 18.03.22 | Dr. M. Nagaraj |
| 44 | Mr. S. Saravanakumar | 11.10.22 | Dr. M. Nagaraj |
| 45 | Mr. Regin B.S | 10.03.22 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 46 | Ms. R. Srividhya | 16.05.22 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 47 | Mr. Gopi S | 19.07.22 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 48 | Ms. Lakshmi Priya | 21.04.23 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 49 | Ms. Kavitha B. | 30.11.23 | Dr. Radha Venkatesan |
| 50 | Ms. Lakshmi N. | 16.12.25 | Dr. Guha Pradeepa |
MGR University
| S.No. | Name | Completed Date | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Dr. Saroja Raghavan | 13.12.25 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 52 | Dr. M. Deepa | 08.04.08 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 53 | Dr. C.S. Shanti Rani | 27.11.04 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 54 | Dr. Ravikumar | 23.12.05 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 55 | Dr. S.C. Premanand | 10.01.07 | Dr. M. Rema |
| 56 | Dr. Priya Maria Miranda | 17.03.06 | Dr. V. Mohan |
SRM University
| S.No. | Name | Completed Date | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Dr. Avinash Soundarajan | 2016 | Dr. M. Balasubramanyam |
| 58 | Dr. Abishamala Kingsly | 2017 | Dr. R.M. Anjana |
| 59 | Dr. Shruti Muralidharan | 2018 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 60 | Dr. Aarthy Ramasamy | 2024 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 61 | Dr. Hannah Wesley | 2024 | Dr. V. Mohan |
| 62 | Dr. Abhinav Rajendra Prabhu | 2025 | Dr. V. Mohan |
Warwick University
| S.No. | Name | Completed Date | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | Ms. Aarthi G R | 2024 | Dr. R.M. Anjana |
| 64 | Dr. Venkatesh U. | 2025 | Dr. V. Mohan |
SASTRA University
| S.No. | Name | Completed Date | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | Ms. C. Shivashri | 2024 | Dr. V. Mohan |
Research Areas
- Ph.D. candidates may choose to specialise in:
- Diabetes and its complications
- Genetics and genomics
- Nutrition and lifestyle science
- Epidemiology and public health
- Metabolic disorders
- Clinical and translational research
- Biostatistics and data science applications in diabetes
Who are all Eligibility
- A Master’s degree in Life Sciences, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Nutrition, Public Health, Bioinformatics, Statistics, or a related field.
- Candidates must meet the eligibility criteria of the partnering universities affiliated with MDRF.
Admission Process
- Submission of application with academic transcripts and a statement of purpose.
- Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.
- Final selection is based on academic merit, research interests, and interview performance.
Affiliations
MDRF collaborates with reputed Indian and international universities for awarding the Ph.D. degree, ensuring high academic standards and globally recognised credentials.
University of Madras
MGR University
SRM University
SASTRA University
Warwick University
