Dr. Arun Kumar Shukla obtained M.Sc. in Biotechnology from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, and pursued his Ph.D. with Prof. Hartmut Michel (Nobel Laureate, 1988) at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt, Germany. Dr. Shukla subsequently joined the laboratory of Prof. Robert J. Lefkowitz (Nobel Laureate, 2012) at Duke University as a Research Associate, and worked in a very close collaboration with Prof. Brian Kobilka (Nobel Laureate, 2012) at Stanford University. Dr. Shukla is currently a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Research program: Dr. Shukla's research program is focused on understanding the structure and function of G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) with an overarching goal of designing better therapeutic with minimized side-effects. GPCRs are the main conduit of information transfer across the cell membrane. These receptors and their signaling networks are intricately involved in almost every physiological and pathophysiological processin human body such as cardiovascular regulation, immune response, neurotransmission, behavior and mood regulation. About half of the currently prescribed drugs target this class of receptorsincluding alpha and beta blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers and anti-histamines. GPCR targeting drugs are used in congestive heart failure, hypertension, asthma, allergies, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and cancer. Dr. Shukla's laboratory utilizes cellular, biochemical and structural approaches to decipher the mechanistic details of GPCR activation, signaling and reulatory paradigms.

Honors and recognitions: Dr. Shukla's research work carried out in India has been recognized by multiple honors and awards including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award from CSIR, Fellowship of the Indian Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Sciences, Khosla National Award from IIT Roorkee, Swarnajayanti Fellowship from DST, National Bioscience Award from DBT, Sun Pharma Research Award, Rajib Goyal Prize in Life Science, CDRI Award for Excellence in Drug Research, B. M. Birla Science Prize in Biology, EMBO Young Investigator Award, CNR Rao Award for research excellence, NASI-Young Scientist Platinum Jubilee Award, Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award, and the Intermediate and Senior fellowships of DBT Wellcome Trust India Alliance. Dr. Shukla also serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of multiple international journals including Cell Reports, British Journal of Pharmacology, Journal of Biological Chemistry, and Trends in Biochemical Sciences.