Jim Parry Award 2021: Professor Awadhesh N. Jha
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- June 1, 2022
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We are delighted that Professor Awadhesh N. Jha will be receiving his Jim Parry Award and presenting his award lecture at this year’s UKEMS Annual Meeting, which takes place at the Royal Hall in Harrogate between the 3rd and 6th July. Professor Jha is a worthy recipient of the Jim Parry Award, which is presented to a senior scientist who has made a substantial contribution to the field of environmental mutagenesis.
Professor Jha, Professor in Genetic Toxicology & Ecotoxicology at the University of Plymouth (UK), obtained his PhD in the field of Radiation Cytogenetics in 1989 from Banaras Hindu University, India. His PhD work, supported by IAEA, Vienna, involved assessing impact of low radiation doses in humans. Following his PhD, in 1990, he joined the University of Leiden, The Netherlands as a post-doctoral research fellow. In Leiden, he participated in several collaborative projects, and worked on different aspects of radiation- and chemical-induced chromosomal damage and repair and in population monitoring programmes. In 1993, he moved to the UK to join the environmental laboratory at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in Brixham, South Devon, as a marine toxicologist. The laboratory later became part of the pharmaceutical company, Zeneca. At Zeneca, he worked on the development of assays to elucidate toxic potential of chemicals on aquatic organisms. In 1996, Zeneca created an academic position for him at the University of Plymouth where he rose to Professorship rank in 2010.
Adopting multidisciplinary approach, Professor Jha’s research interest involves the elucidation of fundamental mechanisms of toxicity induced by environmental stressors, (e.g. radionuclides, priority and emerging contaminants) and their potential impact on the health of aquatic organisms. He has developed and adopted many novel approaches to assess the environmental hazard and risks posed by pollutants. He also promotes development of alternative methods to reduce the use of live fish for biological studies. His work is supported by the European Union (EU), government bodies (e.g. RCUK), Industries and other organisations.