 in medical oncology from the University of Oxford, and has worked in the areas of signal transduction in cancer and on molecular biology applications in wildlife conservation.He is the recipient of several national awards, including the 2008 CSIR Technology Award, the 2009 NRDC Meritorious Invention Award and the 2009 BioAsia Innovation Award in recognition of his contribution to Indian science and technology.Verma was born in a small village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.