Srilakshmi Raj is named a regional finalist in the British Council's Study UK Alumni Awards.
Going to school in the UK was the best decision I made in my life. The experience is one that I will treasure for the rest of my life
Srilakshmi Raj
A Gates Cambridge Scholar has been selected as a regional finalist in the British Council's Study UK Alumni Awards.
Srilakshmi Raj [2007] was chosen as one of 63 regional finalists after winning a national award in the US in March.
The prestigious international award celebrates UK higher education and the achievements of UK alumni all over the world. There have been 12 national ceremonies and the 21 regional award winners will be announced later this week.
Now in its fourth year, the award received thousands of applications from international UK alumni in a record 123 countries, representing more than 140 UK higher education institutions across the UK.
At the national awards in the US three winners were selected following in-depth interviews with a judging panel. Srilakshmi won the Professional Achievement Award, which recognises alumni who have distinguished themselves through exemplary leadership in their professional field.
Srilakshmi is a human geneticist, currently at Cornell University, where she is researching how genetic variation acts in different environmental contexts to predispose to complex disease, particularly heart disease and diabetes. At Cambridge, where she did her PhD in Biological Anthropology, she researched variation of diabetes and obesity genes in different population groups in Karnataka state in southern India.
She said: “Going to school in the UK was the best decision I made in my life. Attending both Oxford and Cambridge transformed the vision I had for my career, ignited the passion I have for public health, and introduced me to life long friends and mentors. The experience is one that I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
The 21 regional winners will be profiled on the British Council's Study UK social media platforms and website. Global Award winners will be announced on 24th May.
