Bushra Ateeq

Bushra Ateeq is a Professor & Joy Gill Chair at the Department of Biological Sciences & Bioengineering (BSBE) at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur). She is also recognized as a Senior Fellow of the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, highlighting her significant contributions to biomedical research in India.

Dr. Ateeq received her BSc (1995), MSc (1997), and PhD (2003) degrees from Aligarh Muslim University. Her academic journey continued with postdoctoral research at McGill University, Montreal, Canada (2005-07) and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (2008-11), followed by a Research Investigator position at the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology (2011-13).

Dr. Ateeq's research focuses on exploring the genetic and epigenetic changes that initiate cancer and drive its progression. Her laboratory employs novel strategies to identify molecular events that facilitate cancer development and resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Her work spans multiple cancer types including prostate cancer, glioblastoma, and colorectal cancer, with particular emphasis on understanding the role of SPINK1, microRNAs, and various signaling pathways in oncogenesis. She has made significant contributions to understanding transcriptional networks in prostate cancer, mechanisms of cellular plasticity, and epigenetic regulation of cancer progression.

Dr. Ateeq's research has been recognized through numerous prestigious awards including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in Medical Sciences (2020), Elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (2021), and Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (2021). She has also received the Ramachandran-National Bioscience Award for Career Development (2020-21) and the Intermediate Fellowship Award from the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance (2013-2019).

Her scientific contributions include significant findings related to transcriptional networks in prostate cancer, androgen deprivation therapy, microRNA regulation in cancer, and the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance. Through her work, Dr. Ateeq has established herself as a leading researcher in cancer biology in India, with publications in high-impact journals including Nature Communications, Clinical Cancer Research, and Oncogenesis.