Dr. Anu Dalal

Academic Profile:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Center for Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA (2022–2024)
• Ph.D. in Chemistry, IIT Delhi (2016–2022)
• M.Sc. in Chemistry, IIT Roorkee (2014–2016)
• B.Sc. (Hons.) Chemistry, Hansraj College, University of Delhi (2011–2014)

Biography

Dr. Anu Dalal is currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Hindu College, University of Delhi. Before joining Hindu College, she played a significant role in strengthening India’s national science ecosystem through her position as Scientist-C at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Headquarters. At ICMR, she helped conceptualize and coordinate major national initiatives, including the ICMR–NAMS National Biostatistics Helpline (BIOSAT-LINE), and facilitated the strategic planning and implementation of the ICMR–Gates Foundation Indo-African Biomedical Research initiatives. She also contributed to policy-oriented STEM capacity-building in her role as Senior Associate for Science Policy at the Indian National Science Academy (INSA).

Prior to her policy and leadership roles, Dr. Dalal completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, NCATS (Maryland, USA), where she worked at the interface of chemical biology and AI-enabled drug discovery. Her research spanned high-throughput screening, computational chemistry, and the development of small-molecule inhibitors, including GCPII modulators, ALDH inhibitors, and molecules targeting ER-phagy pathways. Her work integrated rational drug design, machine-learning approaches, and translational therapeutic development. She was actively involved in science outreach in the U.S., representing NCATS at schools, workshops, and scientific conferences.

Dr. Dalal earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from IIT Delhi, specializing in synthetic organic chemistry, including the total synthesis of bioactive natural products such as hygrophorones and pseudohygrophorones. She also conducted computational studies on quorum-sensing inhibitors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Beyond her doctoral research, she contributed to forensic investigations at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Delhi, where she worked on the analysis of post-blast debris and detection of explosives using NMR techniques. Her interdisciplinary training spans medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, computational drug design, and forensic chemistry.

Alongside research, Dr. Dalal is a passionate science communicator and the author of the popular-science book It’s All Chemistry! Even Your Masala Chai is a Chemistry Experiment. She actively mentor students and serves as a mentor in the Lindau Mentoring Hub, an initiative of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.

Awards & Honours

• Young Scientist Delegate, Falling Walls Science Summit, Berlin (2024)
• NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, USA (2022–2024)
• NIH Summer Research Mentor Award, USA (2023)
• NIH Travel Grants for Scientific Conferences, USA
• Translational Science Training Program (TSTP) Award, USA (2023)
• Young Scientist Nominee, Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings 2022 (Germany) through the Astrid and Carl-Thomas Epping Fellowship
• L'Oréal Scholarship, IUPAC Postgraduate Summer School on Green Chemistry, Venice (2018)
• Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP) Fellowship, Academia Sinica, Taiwan (2014)

Professional Memberships & Roles

• Member, SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science) (2023–Present)
• Former Member, NIH WSA (Women Scientists Advisors) Committee (2022-2024)
• Associate Member, Royal Society of Chemistry (2022–Present)
• Mentor, Lindau Mentoring Hub, Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (2022–Present)
• UN Peace Ambassador (2020)

Research Interests

Dr. Dalal’s research is inherently interdisciplinary, bridging chemistry, biology, computation, and translational science. Her primary focus lies in designing and developing small-molecule probes and therapeutics through a combination of rational drug design, chemical biology approaches, and computational/AI-driven strategies.

Her research vision is to create and apply chemistry with purpose: transforming molecules into meaningful solutions for human health, environmental challenges, and societal needs.