London: Sunetra Gupta, an expert in theoretical epidemiology and a writer based at the University of Oxford, has been chosen for the Rosalind Franklin Award by the Royal Society in recognition of her work in the field of infectious diseases.
The Kolkata-born academic is one of the four Oxford academics recognised by the Royal Society in its 2009 Awards, Medals and Lectures.
Gupta said: "My colleagues and I have worked for some time to develop and test new, and initially somewhat controversial, ideas on the evolution of pathogen diversity, and it is a great honour to have our work recognised in this way."
The Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award is awarded annually and is funded by the government as part of its efforts to promote women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Gupta, who is Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology in the Department of Zoology, will receive a medal and a grant of 30,000 pounds.
Recognising achievements in a wide variety of fields of research, the Royal Society gives the awards to scientists for the excellence of their work and the implications their findings have had for others working in relevant fields and wider society.
Gupta, a PhD from the University of London, was born in Kolkata and is the author of four novels, Memories of Rain (1992), The Glassblower's Breath (1993), Moonlight into Marzipan (1995), and A Sin of Colour (1999), which narrates the history of three generations of a wealthy Indian family from Kolkata.