ABOUT US
Research at the Bangalore Life Science Cluster, which includes NCBS, inStem, CCAMP and TIGS, spans a diverse range of questions and approaches in the broad area of life sciences. The Research Development Office (RDO) was created to facilitate research and training at the Cluster, via enabling research funding. The office now offers a concerted mechanism for managing these activities across the members institutes of the Bangalore Life Science Cluster. Work at the RDO is made possible by a well-knit group of dynamic and professional individuals, entrepreneurial in spirit and firmly committed to offering several key services to the campus at the boundaries of science, management and outreach. With a vibrant team, emerging opportunities on the campus and new connections on the outside, we look forward to a rewarding journey further ahead.
TEAM RDO
Malini S. Pillai, PhD
​Head, RDO
Email: malinisp@ncbs.res.in
Dr. Malini S. Pillai is a trained scientist in the area of Cell and Molecular Biology and an accomplished Research Management professional. She currently heads the Research Development Office (RDO) at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR).
Dr. Pillai leads strategic efforts to secure external funding from various sources, build institutional research capacity, and foster cross-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations. She provides oversight across the research funding lifecycle, including concept development, proposal support, compliance, and reporting. Working closely with researchers on campus, she helps navigate complex funding landscapes. She enables data-driven planning, monitors funding trends, and supports initiatives that enhance the institute’s long-term research sustainability and scientific impact.
Suman Pahal, PhD
Grant Manager​
Email: sumanp@ncbs.res.in
Dr. Suman Pahal is an accomplished biomedical researcher with experience working across premier research institutions, including the University of Connecticut, inStem and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Over the years, she has successfully led and coordinated numerous interdisciplinary research projects, securing competitive funding from national agencies such as DST, SERB, and BIRAC. Currently serving as the Grants Manager at the Research Development Office (RDO), National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Dr. Pahal provides strategic advice and end-to-end pre-award support to researchers, including proposal development, budgeting, and monitoring compliance. Dr. Pahal will also contribute to mobilizing philanthropic and private sector funding, managing grant contracts, and supporting strategic initiatives that bridge academia and industry. She will also be responsible for tracking the success rates of grant applications, analysing funding trends, and identifying patterns and insights to enhance future submissions, contributing to the institute’s research excellence and long-term funding sustainability.
Darshan Shanthaveerappa Tuppad
Grants Advisor (Post-Award & Development)
Email: darshant@ncbs.res.in
With expertise in grants administration, research development & program management, Mr. Darshan supports research initiatives at NCBS-TIFR by managing pre-award and post-award processes, donor relations & funding outreach. His role involves curating grant information, facilitating submissions, overseeing compliance & ensuring optimal research fund utilization. He also contributes to data analysis, stakeholder communications & institutional fundraising efforts.
Previously, as a Grants Officer at Office of Research Grants, Indian Institute Science, he managed funding databases, internship programs & pre-award and post-award support for researchers at IISc. His earlier experience as an Associate Scientist at Gangagen Biotechnologies Pvt. Ltd. focused on antimicrobial research and phage therapy, strengthening his skills in experimental design, data analysis & project management. With a diverse background spanning research, academia, and business, Darshan brings a strategic approach to problem-solving in research funding and grants administration.
M.C. Aruna
Grants Administrator
Email: arunamc@ncbs.res.in
Ms. Aruna MC is the Grants Administrator at the RDO. She is responsible for Post-Award management of grants from the campus, funded by national and international sources. This includes Grant activation, Grant reporting, Grant extension, Grant closure, Grant transfer. She ensures that the post-award management of the campus grants are done in compliance with the institutional and agencies requirements by working with both internal and external stakeholders, as required, for submission of relevant documents to the funding agencies, within the stipulated deadline. She is also involved in data analysis and information management as well as outreach to funding agencies.
Bhagya Lakshmi S.
Secretarial Trainee
Email: bhagyas@ncbs.res.in
Ms. Bhagya Lakshmi is a Secretarial Trainee at RDO. Her responsibilities include handling office documents, assisting in office routines, scanning and collating documents, dispatching the hardcopy of the grant related documents and agreements, maintaining the dispatch register and stationery stocks needed for the office. She is also involved in archiving agreements, pre-award and post-award documents.
As a B.Com. graduate, this role marks the beginning of her professional journey, allowing her to develop essential skills in administration, documentation, and data management. Her dedication and attention to detail contribute to the smooth functioning of the RDO's operations.
FORMER MEMBERS
Dr. Savita Ayyar, Former Head, RDO
Dr. Vineetha Raghavan, Former Head, RDO - Grants and Research Collaboration
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Ms. Swathi BS, Dr. Vijaylakshmi Babu, Ms. Baishali Goswami, Dr. Siji Anil, Dr. Anusha Krishnan, Ms. Archana Shetty, Mr. Hardik Panchal, Dr. Priyankana Mukherjee, Dr. Pankaj Gupta, Dr. Athulya Aravind, Dr. Dhruba Sharma, Dr. Jinu Mathew Valayil, Dr. Roshan Kumar, Dr. Arkamitra Vishnu
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Interns - Dr. Saumya Prasad, Dr. Jyotsna Begani
About the Logo
The logo is an abstract representation of the role of RDO as a central liaison for nurturing critical partnerships across various stakeholders. The dots are a representation of different sources of funding, internal and external stakeholders, funding agencies as well as collaborators. The projections represent the different ways by which the RDO encompasses and interacts across all the "dots" to facilitate research funding and collaboration.
