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{{Use Indian English|date=February 2026}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2026}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = K. Thangaraj
| native_name = கு. தங்கராஜ்
|image =கு. தங்கராஜ்.jpg
| birth_place = [[Cheyyur]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| field = [[Genetics]], [[population genetics]]
| alma_mater = [[Madurai Kamaraj University]]
| workplaces = [[Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology]] (CCMB)<br>[[Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics]] (CDFD)
| awards = [[Padma Shri]] (2026)<br>[[J.C. Bose National Fellowship]]
| known_for = Genetic history of the Indian population
}}
'''Kumaraswamy Thangaraj''' is an [[India|Indian]] [[geneticist]] and [[molecular biology]] researcher. He is a senior scientist at the [[Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology]] (CCMB) in [[Hyderabad]]. For his significant contributions to research, the [[Government of India]] honored him with the [[Padma Shri]], the fourth-highest civilian award, in 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://telanganatoday.com/padma-shri-for-hyderabad-geneticist-dr-thangarajs-pioneering-research |title=Padma Shri for Hyderabad geneticist Dr. Thangaraj's pioneering research |access-date=2026-01-27|date=2026-01-25}}</ref><ref name="Padma2026">{{cite web|date=25 January 2026|title=Padma Awards 2026 Announced|url=https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2218547&reg=3&lang=1|access-date=14 February 2026|publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India}}</ref>

==Earlier life==
Born on 2 June 1963, in [[Cheyyur]], [[Kanchipuram district]], [[Tamil Nadu]], Thangaraj completed his [[Bachelor of Science]] (B.Sc.) in 1984 and his [[Master of Science]] (M.Sc.) in 1988 at the [[University of Madras]]. After completing his [[Master of Philosophy|M.Phil.]] in 1989, he did doctoral research in genetics at the [[University of Madras]] (Taramani Campus) and was awarded his Ph.D. in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |title=Profile of Dr. K. Thangaraj |url=https://nabsindia.org/profiles/thangaraj.html|publisher=National Academy of Biological Sciences|access-date=2026-02-14}}</ref>

==Research career==
Shortly before receiving his doctorate in 1993, he joined the [[Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology]] (CCMB) in Hyderabad as a scientist. He later became a senior scientist at the institute.<ref>{{cite web |title=K. Thangaraj |url=https://www.ccmb.res.in/People/Research-Group/K-Thangaraj|publisher=CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology|access-date=2026-02-14}}</ref> His research primarily focuses on human population genetics.

===Origins of the Indian Population===
He contributed to research on the genetic structure of [[Indian populations]], including studies supporting the model that present-day Indians derive ancestry from two ancient groups known as Ancestral [[North Indians]] (ANI) and Ancestral [[South Indians]] (ASI).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Reich |first=David |display-authors=etal |title=Reconstructing Indian population history |journal=Nature |volume=461 |issue=7263 |pages=489–494 |year=2009 |doi=10.1038/nature08365|pmc=2842210 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Moorjani |first=Priya |display-authors=etal |title=Genetic evidence for recent population mixture in India |journal=American Journal of Human Genetics |volume=93 |issue=3 |pages=422–438 |year=2013 |doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.07.006|pmc=3769933 }}</ref>

===Andaman tribes===
He led studies on the genetic history of Andamanese tribes, including the [[Onge]] and [[Great Andamanese peoples|Great Andamanese]] which found that their maternal lineages belong to [[Haplogroup M (mtDNA)|haplogroup M ]]and show deep divergence within Asian populations, supporting models of early modern human dispersal into Asia.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Thangaraj |first=Kumarasamy |display-authors=etal |title=Genetic affinities of the Andaman Islanders, a vanishing human population |journal=Current Biology |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=86–93 |year=2003 |doi=10.1016/S0960-9822(02)01336-2}}</ref>

===Genetic diseases===
He conducted detailed studies on [[genetic diseases]] caused by the [[caste]] system and [[consanguineous marriages]] (marrying close relatives) prevalent in India.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Nakatsuka |first=Nathan |display-authors=etal |title=The promise of discovering population-specific disease-associated genes in South Asia |journal=Nature Genetics |volume=49 |pages=1403–1407 |year=2017 |doi=10.1038/ng.3917|pmc=5675555 }}</ref>

===COVID-19===
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], he co-authored a genomic study examining genetic susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 among isolated and endogamous South Asian populations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Singh|first1=Prajjval Pratap |first2=Prashanth |last2=Suravajhala|last3=Mallick|first3= Chandana Basu|display-authors=etal |title= COVID-19: Impact on linguistic and genetic isolates of India. |journal=Genes & Immunity |year=2022 |volume=23|pp=47–50|doi=10.1038/s41435-021-00150-8|pmc=8504558}}</ref>

==Awards and recognitions==
* [[Padma Shri]] (2026) – For contributions to Science and Engineering, Government of India<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dtnext.in/news/tamilnadu/padma-honour-for-ccmb-geneticist-k-thangaraj-for-pioneering-population-studies |title=Padma honour to CCMB genetist K. Thangaraj for pioneering population studies |access-date=2026-01-27}}</ref>
* [[Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar]] (2025)<ref>{{cite web |title=Geneticist K. Thangaraj of CSIR-CCMB awarded Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar |date=28 October 2025 |work=The Hindu |location=Hyderabad |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/geneticist-k-thangaraj-of-csir-ccmb-awarded-rashtriya-vigyan-puraskar/article70208311.ece |access-date=14 February 2026}}</ref>
* J. C. Bose Fellowship, CSIR-India (2019)<ref>{{cite web |title=CCMB scientist K Thangaraj awarded JC Bose Fellowship in Hyderabad |work=Deccan Chronicle |date=18 August 2019 |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/180819/ccmb-scientist-k-thangaraj-awarded-jc-bose-fellowship-in-hyderabad.html |access-date=14 February 2026}}</ref>
* Fellow – [[Indian National Science Academy]] (INSA){{fact|date=February 2026}}
* Fellow – [[Indian Academy of Sciences]] (IASc){{fact|date=February 2026}}
* [[Sun Pharma]] Research Award ([[Medical Sciences]]){{fact|date=February 2026}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{2000s Padma Shri Award Recipients in Science & Engineering}}
[[Category:Padma Shri Award]]
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian geneticists]]
[[Category:University of Madras alumni]]

Kumaraswamy Thangaraj - Revision history

Abesh Purkait: made new bio