The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences awarded the honorary title of “Doctor honoris causa” to Prof. Tapas Kumar Kundu (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India). The solemn ceremony took place in the “Prof. Marin Drinov” Hall of BAS. Prof. Tapas Kundu is an internationally recognised scientist in the field of epigenetics, one of the fastest-developing and most cutting-edge areas of molecular biology linked to modern methods of personalised medicine.

The honorary title was awarded by the Governing Council of BAS in recognition of his contribution to the development of epigenetics and chemical biology, his international standing and his long-standing collaboration with the Bulgarian scientific community. The award was presented by the President of BAS, Corresponding Member Evelina Slavcheva.

During the ceremony, the Vice-President of BAS Corresponding Member Evdokia Pasheva presented the work of Prof. Tapas Kundu. Prof. Kundu is one of the founders of epigenetics in India and an undisputed leading researcher in this field. Throughout his academic career, Prof. Kundu has held a number of key positions, including Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore and Director of the Central Drug Research Institute from 2018 to 2022. He has been a visiting professor and lecturer at leading universities and research centres in Japan, India, Europe and the USA.

Prof. Kundu is the author of over 150 scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals. His total number of citations exceeds 12,700, with an h-index of 59. His publications have appeared in high-impact-factor journals; a significant proportion of these works are highly cited and are regarded as seminal for the development of modern chromatin biology. His students hold key scientific and administrative positions at India’s most prestigious universities and in a number of other countries. His achievements are highly regarded both nationally and internationally.

Following the ceremony, Prof. Tapas Kumar Kundu delivered an academic lecture on the topic “Epigenetics and chronic diseases: Translational aspects of pharmacological intervention”.