Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath earned her BSc and MSc degrees from Andhra University and PhD (Biochemistry) in 1981 from Mysore University while working at Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI). She was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Cancer Institute, USA (1982-85) and joined the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) at Bangalore upon returning to India. She continued working in various capacities at NIMHANS till 2000 when she took over as the Founder Director of National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology. She continued as Director till April 2009, when she returned to Bangalore as Professor and Chair of the newly created Centre for Neuroscience at IISc.

Academic and Research Achievements: Professor Ravindranath has made pioneering contributions in understanding the metabolism of psychoactive drugs at the site of action in brain. She was the first to demonstrate the capability of the human brain to metabolize psychoactive drugs to pharmacologically active and inactive metabolites by pathways which are different from those that occur in liver, the major organ involved in drug metabolism. Her other research interests include understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the region and cell-specific neuronal dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease with a goal to identify drug targets that may help slow down the progression of the disease.

Other Contributions: As the first Director of NBRC, she ensured its networking to other institutions and initiating newer areas of research to revitalize the growth of modern neuroscience in India. She has been Member of the Governing Council of International Brain Research Organization and the Asia Pacific Regional Council; and also served as INSA Council Member (2008-11).

Awards and Honours: Professor Ravindranath won many prestigious awards like SS Bhatnagar Award for Medical Sciences (1996); KP Bhargava Medal of Indian National Science Academy (2001); Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Science & Technology (2001); and Stree Shakti Award. She is the Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad; Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore; and Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS); Padmashree (2010).