https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Dronamraju_Krishna_RaoDronamraju Krishna Rao - Revision history2026-07-31T17:03:41ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Dronamraju_Krishna_Rao&diff=477023&oldid=prevArcherMill7063 at 11:26, 12 October 20252025-10-12T11:26:01Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian-born geneticist}}<br />
{{Hatnote|This is a [[Telugu language|Telugu name]]; the family name is ''Dronamraju''.}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}<br />
{{Infobox scientist<br />
|name = Dronamraju Krishna Rao<br />
|image =<br />
|birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1937|1|14}}<br />
|birth_place = [[Pithapuram]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], India<br />
|death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2020|12|3|1937|1|14}}<br />
|death_place = [[Houston, Texas]], U.S.<br />
|nationality = <br />
|field = [[Genetics]]<br> [[Biotechnology]]<br> [[History of Science]]<br> US-India cooperation in Science & Technology<br />
|work_institution = [[Indian Statistical Institute]], India<br>[[University College, London]] <br> Johns Hopkins University Medical School, USA <br> University of Alberta, Canada<br />
|doctoral_advisor = [[J. B. S. Haldane]]<br />
|doctoral_students =<br />
| education = [[Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University]] PhD [[Indian Statistical Institute]]<br />
|known_for = [[Genetics]] <br> [[Biotechnology]]<br />
|prizes = * National Reserve Service Award (NRSA), U.S. National Institutes of Health, Washington D.C.<br><br />
* Yellapraggada Subba Rao Memorial Award, India <br />
* Nayudamma Award in Technology, India<br />
|footnotes =<br />
|website = {{URL|http://www.geneticresearch.us.com/}}<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Dronamraju Krishna Rao''' (14 January 1937 – 3 December 2020) was an [[India]]n-born [[geneticist]] and [[president (corporate title)|president]] of the Foundation for Genetic Research in [[Houston, Texas]]. He was born in [[Pithapuram]], in the state of [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]]. One focus of his work has been the research of his mentor [[J. B. S. Haldane]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=49250 |title= John Burdon Sanderson Haldane}}</ref> As an author, his name is usually rendered '''Krishna R. Dronamraju'''. He died in Houston at age 83.<ref>{{cite web |title=Obituary: Dr. Krishna Dronamraju |url=https://india-herald.com/obituary-dr-krishna-dronamraju-p7692-65.htm |website=india-herald.com |access-date=6 December 2020}}</ref><br />
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==Biography==<br />
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===Education===<br />
Dronamraju went to [[Maharajah's College|M. R. College]] in Vizianagaram, Andhra University to study [[botany]] and earned a bachelor's degree in 1955. He received a [[master's degree]] from [[Agra University]] in 1957; he studied plant breeding and genetics. When J.B.S. Haldane moved to India in 1957, Dronamraju wrote to Haldane for an opportunity to pursue a research career under his direction at the Indian Statistical Institute in Calcutta.<br />
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Early in his research career, he discovered the first case of a gene on the human Y chromosome and published a paper in 1960. It was also part of his PhD thesis at the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta.<ref name=thesis>{{cite web |url= http://library.isical.ac.in/jspui/handle/10263/3978 |title= Dr Krishna R Dronamraju ISI Phd thesis |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233223/http://library.isical.ac.in/jspui/handle/10263/3978 |archive-date= 30 December 2013 }}</ref> Dronamraju's research with Haldane at the Indian Statistical Institute included many areas.<br />
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===Research contributions===<br />
Dronamraju's research covered the visits of several species of lepidoptera to different colored flowers of ''[[Lantana camara]]'' reported the discovery of a species-specific pattern of color preference behavior by pollinating insects.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}<br />
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He did research in human genetics in India. In 1966, Dronamraju completed his [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] from the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta. He studied under J. B. S. Haldane. The topic of his doctoral thesis was "Genetic Studies of the Andhra Pradesh population".<ref name=thesis/> Dronamraju's early research in human genetics (and the independent work of L.D. Saghvi at the Tata Cancer Center in Mumbai) eventually led to the foundation of the Indian Society of Human Genetics.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}<br />
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Dronamraju received advanced training at [[University College, London]] and [[Johns Hopkins School of Medicine]], followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in genetics at the [[University of Alberta]].<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yfqtcQAACAAJ |title= University College, London|isbn= 9781156562451|last1= Llc|first1= Books|date= September 2010|publisher= General Books}}</ref> After he moved to the US, he continued research on inbreeding in human populations such as the Amish population in Pennsylvania in collaboration with [[Victor A. McKusick]] at Johns Hopkins. He also studied the Seneca Indians in New York State and other populations in the US and Canada.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}<br />
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He studied the relationship between fetal mortality and the occurrence of oral cleft defects in families.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}<br />
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In recent years, Dronamraju's research focused on the history of genetics and human/medical genetics. He published several books, especially with reference to the contributions of his mentor J. B. S. Haldane.{{clarify|date=December 2013}}<br />
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==Books==<br />
* "A Century of Geneticists: Mutation to Medicine", CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Company, London, UK, 2018.{ISBN/978-1-498-74866-7} <br />
* ''Popularizing Science: The Life and Work of JBS Haldane''. (2017) Oxford University Press {{ISBN|978-0-19-933392-9}}<br />
* ''Victor McKusick and the History of Medical Genetics''. (2012) Springer {{ISBN|978-1-4614-1676-0}}<br />
* ''Haldane, Mayr and Beanbag Genetics'' (2011) Oxford University Press {{ISBN|978-0-19-538734-6}}<br />
* ''What I Require from Life: Writings on Science and Life from JBS Haldane'' (2009) Oxford University Press {{ISBN|978-0-19-923770-8}}<br />
* ''Emerging Consequences of Biotechnology'' (2008), World Scientific Publishing Company {{ISBN|978-981-277-500-9}}<br />
* ''Genetic and Evolutionary Aspects of Malaria'' (2006), Springer {{ISBN|978-0-387-28294-7}}<br />
* ''Infectious Disease and Host-Pathogen Evolution'' (2004), Cambridge University Press {{ISBN|978-0-521-82066-0}}<br />
* ''Biological Wealth and Other Essays'' (2002), World Scientific Publishing Company ASIN B-001-T63O7-0<br />
* ''Science and Society'' (1998), University Press of America {{ISBN|978-0-7618-1007-0}}<br />
* ''Biological and Social Issues in Biotechnology Sharing'' (1998), Ashgate Publishing {{ISBN|978-1-84014-897-8}}<br />
* ''Haldane's Daedalus Revisited'' (1995), Oxford University Press {{ISBN|978-0-19-854846-1}}<br />
* ''The History and Development of Human Genetics in Different Countries'' (1993), World Scientific Publishing {{ISBN|978-981-02-0900-1}}<br />
* ''If I am To Be Remembered: The Life and Work of Julian Huxley'' (1992), World Scientific Publishing ASIN B-001-KJODG-M<br />
* ''Selected Genetic Papers of JBS Haldane'' (1990), Garland Science {{ISBN|978-0-8240-0473-6}}<br />
* ''The Foundations of Human Genetics'' (1989), Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd {{ISBN|978-0-398-05537-0}}<br />
* ''Cleft Lip and Palate: Aspects of Reproductive Biology'' (1986), Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd {{ISBN|978-0-398-05228-7}}<br />
* ''Haldane: The Life and Work of JBS Haldane with special reference to India'' (1985), Pergamon Pr {{ISBN|978-0-08-032436-4}}<br />
* ''Haldane and Modern Biology'' (1968), The Johns Hopkins University Press {{ISBN|978-0-8018-0177-8}}<br />
* ''Haldane in India'' (1998)<br />
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==Achievements==<br />
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===Awards===<br />
* National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the U.S. National Institutes of Health in Washington D.C.<br />
* Yellapraggada Subba Rao Memorial Award, India.<br />
* Nayudamma Award in Technology, India.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://issuu.com/indoamericannews/docs/121710a/8 | title=121710a| date=17 December 2010}}</ref><br />
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===Concurrent positions===<br />
* Honorary Professor, [[Albert Schweitzer International University|Albert Schweitzer Institute, Geneva, Switzerland]]<br />
* Invited Professor, [[University of Paris]], France<br />
* Honorary Visiting Professor, [[Andhra University]], India<br />
* Honorary Research Fellow, [[University of London]], UK.<br />
* Chairman, International Advisory Committee, Chemtech Corp.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chemtechcorp.in/ |title=Chemtech Corporation |access-date=16 April 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517032926/http://chemtechcorp.in/ |archive-date=17 May 2014 }} Chemtech Corp</ref><br />
* Adjunct Professor, [[Pennsylvania State University]].<br />
* Advisor, The Science Garage, [[Hyderabad, India]]<ref>[http://geneticresearch.us.com/science-garage/ The Science Garage]</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
* [http://geneticresearch.us.com/ Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211180352/http://geneticresearch.us.com/ |date=11 December 2013 }}<br />
* [https://genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=48991 Dronamraju in Mathematics Genealogy Project]<br />
* [https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/discovering-dorothy-hood/ Noted Texas artist Dorothy Hood on Dronamraju Krishna Rao]<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Dronamraju}}<br />
[[Category:1937 births]]<br />
[[Category:2020 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Telugu people]]<br />
[[Category:Evolutionary biologists]]<br />
[[Category:Indian bioinformaticians]]<br />
[[Category:Population geneticists]]<br />
[[Category:Academics of the University of London]]<br />
[[Category:Alumni of University College London]]<br />
[[Category:Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University alumni]]<br />
[[Category:Indian geneticists]]<br />
[[Category:Pennsylvania State University faculty]]<br />
[[Category:People from East Godavari district]]<br />
[[Category:Scientists from Andhra Pradesh]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian biologists]]</div>ArcherMill7063