Dr Vidyanand Nanjundiah studied Physics and Mathematics at St. Xavier’s College, Bombay University, and Physics at the University of Chicago.
After getting a Ph.D. he switched entirely to biology. The first step involved working with amphibian embryos at the Hubrecht Laboratory in Utrecht. That was followed by a further three years of work in laboratories in Tuebingen, and Basel, where he learnt about how and why amoebae of the cellular slime moulds signal to one another.
He joined the Indian Institute of Science thereafter and has been there ever since except for an interlude at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay. His research continues to be concerned with the development of pattern during multicellular development and the evolution of social behaviour.
He has written several papers and publications and is well known for his deep knowledge of science and his articulation of scientific issues.