"It is my honour to support Dr. Dinesh Babu nomination for Lab Heroes Awards 2021. Dinesh is very motivated about the best practices in his field of research. He is punctual, respectful, and very competent under pressure and stressful situations. He is a hard-working researcher and I believe that he has the right character, creativity, and intelligence to succeed in professional activities and research. I support his nomination unquestionably as an exceptional candidate."

Hossein Doosti, Psychiatry Department, University of Alberta, Canada

"For more than a decade, since the time I knew Dr. Dinesh Babu, he has helped my scientific career all through my life. He is a strong motivator, supporter and philosopher for me and many of my fellow trainees. He truly deserves this award for his personality."

Parandhaman Vaithesh, Family Counseling Center, Department of Social Work, Sacred Heart College, India

"As a professor and Head of the Department of Pharmacology at Vinayaka Mission's College of Pharmacy, I had the pleasure of knowing Dinesh Babu for the past 26 years from his B.Pharm Programme at Nandha College of Pharmacy, Erode. I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Dinesh Babu for Lab Leader Awards 2021.

He demonstrated his ability to implement his knowledge and analytical skills during his study and also to date in various projects. He has always worked in sync with his fellow students and teachers, He is highly astute and keen to propose and generate interest for a cause. I am proud to say he is one of the best students of my career. After his B.Pharm, he undertook various positions in both academic and research areas. I feel confident that he will succeed and reach various heights in the profession and winning this will motivate him to do more research."

Kothai Ramalingam, Pharmacology, Vinayaka Mission's College of Pharmacy, India

"As a professor in an undergraduate pharmacy degree college in India, I have closely observed Dinesh two decades ago with his discipline, diligence and intelligence. He was a student of distinctly high academic grades who excelled in practical skills. He always raises thought-provoking questions and shows interest in deeper science understanding the phenomena in pharmaceutical sciences. I consciously sensed that he could emerge as a notable scientist in the future. Adding justification to my expectation, he has now emerged as a talented researcher. His rich and diverse experience with consistent productivity and achievements speaks for his knowledge and skills. He has pursued education from all around the globe (India, South Korea, Belgium and Canada) to quench his science quest. He has gained a wide range of skills from marketing pharma products, working in a pharmaceutical formulation industry to advanced level drug discovery research with pharmacological and toxicological screenings, which is indeed commendable. Most notably, he is now working on a cutting-edge project in a drug discovery team developing small molecules for immunotherapy, out of which he has already gained a co-authorship in a publication with a 2020 Nobel Laureate. I am proud to nominate Dinesh Babu for the Lab Hero Award."

Arul Balasubramanian, Pharmacy Practice, Vinayaka Mission's College of Pharmacy, India

"Dinesh has a great personality, he is so helpful and knowledgeable. He likes to see others successful! Even if he has a busy schedule, he tries to find time to help. Personally, I like his advice as he is so supportive and gives constructive feedback."

Christina Saed, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

"It is with pleasure that I nominate Dr. Dinesh Babu, a former colleague and PhD student at the Heymans Institute of Pharmacology, Ghent in Belgium. I know Dinesh as a very passionate researcher who is very dedicated to his work. He always showed the highest level of professionalism and work ethics. He was also never shy to interact with his colleagues and share his knowledge and expertise. Without any doubt, I support the nomination of Dinesh for the Lab Hero award as a Lab Leader. I am confident and convinced that Dinesh will be a great leader, supervisor, and inspiration for many PhD students and other researchers in the future. Also on a personal level, his willingness to help others and work as a team are great values, which I hope many may experience in the future."

Ole De Backer, The Heart Center, Rigshospitalet, Denmark

"I got to know Dr. Dinesh when he was working as a lecturer at the Erode College of Pharmacy, India. He is an organized, dedicated and passionate research fellow. I have witnessed his extraordinary teaching and presentation skills which many students admire. We have designed some courses and conducted some practical sessions with good coordination. Based on his international graduate study experience, he has inspired, motivated, guided, and mentored many students for study abroad. Many staff and co-workers always seek Dr. Dinesh's discussion for his research ideas as he has a strong knowledge of drug discovery. He is equally helpful and receptive for the best outcome of what he does as a team. I have great respect for his scientific achievements and wish him success with the lab hero award."

Kumarappan Chidambaram, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia

"Dinesh is one of the best dedicated scientists I have ever met in my career. From day one, I was astonished by his communication and writing skills, which will transform anyone who is not interested in science into passionate about science! During the pandemic, he led the task of extensively working on getting a long-pending research study into a manuscript and persistently strived to get it published in a high-impact journal. Being the lead author of that paper, I could undoubtedly say that the publication would not have been possible without his hard work and sincere efforts. The way he methodically approaches the science, interprets the results, presents the data, drafts the manuscript and addresses the reviewer’s comments was amazing; all our team members learned a lot from him. He is intoxicatingly passionate about science and constantly challenges himself with new tasks. He has initiated a few research collaborations and projects, which I look forward to being prospective in the near future. Above all, the time, effort and dedication he invests in valuing human relations are commendable. I feel that he deserves to be appreciated with the Lab Hero Award."

Dr. Saad Dahham, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Rustaq College, Oman

"I see Dr. Dinesh Babu as one of the humble and dedicated scientists whom I see as a potential candidate for the Lab Hero award as he represents himself to be the best role model a leader should be. I have learned from him how to handle and address critical scientific arguments and explain a concept with logical detailing. I thoroughly enjoy the social gatherings that he organizes, which makes me forget my lab stress and feel at home with fun, food and friends."

Komal Bharti, Kalra Lab, University of Alberta, Canada

"Dr. Dinesh Babu is one of the most inspiring leaders I came across in both academic research and in the scientific community. While working closely with Dr. Babu during my graduate program at the University of Alberta, I had the privilege to observe and learn from his dedication and professionalism. With his diverse research background and knowledge in multidisciplinary science, he always took initiative in problem-solving and in brainstorming new trajectories of ideas the team should explore. What I respected most about Dr. Babu was the leadership and responsibility he took towards every current project in the group, regardless of his personal gain. From helping with simple experimental procedures to discussing long-term project goals, he oversaw the success of everyone around him with genuine care. Dr. Babu is also an exceptional team player. In our group, Dr. Babu was an essential member that hold the group close like glue. Always staying in tight communication with everyone, he encouraged the group to stay connected and pursue consistent group efforts. At a personal level, Dr. Babu is an exemplary mentor and a life coach to his younger colleagues. He motivated young scientists to develop many necessary skills and beyond, including technical skills, critical thinking, communication, work ethics, and network building. He was my go-to person for discussing any complication I was struggling with and he would kindly share his insights, for hours if needed. It is my honor to have had an opportunity to work with Dr. Dinesh Babu and based on my full respect, I strongly recommend him for the Lab Heroes Award 2021."

Yeon Suh, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

"Dr. Dinesh Babu is known to me from last 2 years. I haven't met him personally but we have done lot of conversation together on phone calls. He is such a amazing person because he helped me a lot by improving my paper writing skills. He always backs me like a big brother. No doubt he is a great scientist but along with this he is a great human being which is not common nowadays. I hope we will meet soon and discuss some stuff over a cup of coffee. I also wish him luck for this award."

Shubham Kumar, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, PCTE Group of Institutes, India

"Dr. Dinesh is a great mentor for me in my career progress and he is the reason for what I am now. He was the prime reason for me to join the Master's degree in Microbiology. During my study life, he guided me at every moment. He supported me in developing a good nanoparticle-based project with resources, experiments and collaborations from his network, which my thesis evaluation committee appreciated very much. I always sought his words whenever I faced challenges and his words were a great motivation for me all the time. Without his help, I would not have completed my degree successfully. He is really a Science hero for me who deserves this award."

Keerthika Pitchumani, Madras University, JBAS College for Women, India

"It gives me immense pleasure to write about Dr. Dinesh Babu; I have known him since I came to Edmonton. He is a perfect icon for leadership in biological research because he always shows kindness to juniors and students. In particular, he comes forward to teach several aspects of research and social. Whenever I met, he encouraged dialogues about specific topics and taken into different dimensions. I many times admired his knowledge and attitude on campus. So, I sincerely recommend him for this award that I feel he deserves!"

Rajakumar Selvaraj, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Canada

"Dr. Dinesh Babu is an intelligent and dedicated scientist I have ever met. He has a great passion for research and has a quest to learn new science. He has been a constant source of inspiration in my research career ever since I first met him during my internship at Ghent University, Belgium. He was the main person who inspired me to pursue my doctoral studies abroad. Dinesh motivated and helped me a lot with my graduate studies application and admission processing. He guided me with some research ideas to correlate genomic changes and toxicity in disease pathology. He has always been at my side during all the good and tough stages of life to help me out. He has been a center point of career guidance for many people, including me, and I could not think of any other one than Dr. Dinesh Babu for this Lab Hero Award."

Saravanakumar Selvaraj, Centre for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hannover Medical School, Germany

"Dinesh is a great researcher with international research experience around the world. Since the time I have met him during his PhD studies in Belgium, I have admired his unstoppable interest in research. He is friendly, kind and humble to whom anyone can approach to discuss science. Whenever he meets his fellow researchers, he never forgets to inquire about their well-being in addition to the progress in their research project, which indicates his concern for his peers. He has a good mix of marketing, formulation and drug discovery research experience which reflects his multifaceted skills to succeed as a future leader, who deserves the Lab Hero Award!"

Sabitri Ghimire, Wellcome Trust Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, UK

"I have known Dinesh Babu for more than 10 years as an extraordinary scientist. I would always describe him as a hard and smart worker with an abundance of international research experience. A combination of an exceptional scientific knowledge and a humble personality would perfectly define Dinesh Babu. It’s always a pleasure to nominate Dinesh Babu for this award."

Rajesh Guruswamy Damodaran, Immunochemistry Department, PPD, USA

"I met Dr. Dinesh at Ghent University (Belgium) during my postdoctoral training period at Cedric Blanpain lab (Belgium). At the first casual meeting itself, I was impressed with his scientific attitude with diverse knowledge and interest. He was warm and friendly with his communication which made him feel like my own family member. With high interest in research and innovation, he was proposing a project for which we made some initiatives to get a non-cancerous cell line to initiate a collaborative project from Japan. He has good scientific writing skills and I have benefitted from it a few times. Dr. Dinesh has an international education and scientific experience, with which he continuously extends the best support that anyone needs (to myself, my friends and students). I have sought his help for any professional assistance and he is a person of immediate reach. He has also supported many peers, including me, with career guidance and networking to find their life paths. He is an interesting person to reach out to talk with about anything from Philosophy to Politics. In my opinion, he deserves a Lab Hero award!"

VijayaKumar Sukumaran, Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Qatar

"All heroes don’t wear capes. Some wear a lab-coat! I have known Dr. Dinesh Babu ever since I’ve been a part of the University of Alberta to pursue my graduate studies. I have come across people from various countries and have had the privilege of getting to know about their cultures and share their knowledge with the rest of the world. Dr. Dinesh Babu is one of the people who has made an impact on my life and has helped me with my life as a graduate student.

Dr. Dinesh Babu is a person who has always been a mix of explorative and optimistic outlooks when it comes to his career goals and life in general. He is an eccentric and resourceful researcher who has a colossal knowledge of the pharmacology and toxicology of anti-cancer drugs. Dr. Dinesh Babu’s work with the anti-psychotic drug, Clozapine is exemplary. He has experience of working 6 years in the pharmaceutical industry as a formulation scientist, which deems him as a person of great knowledge and wisdom in the real world. He is a very responsible and hardworking person with many publications and awards.

Being from the same faculty as mine, Dr. Dinesh Babu has been very helpful and guided me on my journey as a graduate student, even though we are in different labs. From my personal experience, I feel delighted to have known a sympathetic, friendly and kind-hearted person who is always willing to help whoever is in need. Dr. Dinesh Babu can always be seen guiding and training newer lab members who wish to learn from his experiences. He has also portrayed his exceptional presentation skills at the Pharmacy Research Day held by the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences every year. Not only is he a complex thinker, but he has also been able to solve plentiful challenges that have come across his way in life.

I am very thrilled and ecstatic to vote him for the Lab Hero award. He has shared a substantial amount of time from his life and has truly dedicated himself to the world of science to share his expertise. He is an inspiration to me and to every person who has had the chance to know him personally, if not professionally."

Yashita Singh, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

"I met Dr. Dinesh Babu after my first year of pharmacy school in 2016 to pursuing a summer student position investigating antioxidants to ameliorate Clozapine toxicity in-vitro. I have known and worked with Dr. Dinesh Babu for more than 4 years. He presents himself with kindness, knowledgeability, and professionalism. With his guidance, teaching, determination, and willingness to help, I was able to successfully have a project that I was able to present in the Faulty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ Research Day in 2019, a strong written report for my PHARM 498 Independent Research Project in the summer of 2019, and ultimately a publication in the Free Radical Biology and Medicine in 2020. Dr. Dinesh Babu was always approachable and was a huge helping hand in the laboratory space as he has taught me many research methods, various laboratory techniques (aseptic, cell-line work, assays, etc) and always supported my success. With his continuing motivation and dedication towards research and his post-doctoral training, he ultimately inspired me as a student to also pursue a job in the community pharmacy while working on my project in the lab. This ultimately made me continue my work as a student throughout my pharmacy studies and ultimately practice as a full-time community pharmacist after graduation. With his diverse experience as a researcher and as an individual, Dr. Dinesh Babu acts with high compassion and professionalism with students and other colleagues, and he is willing to go the extra mile to support others in all aspects. With the above qualities and experience, I nominate Dr. Dinesh Babu for this award."

Thomas Le, Arno Siraki Lab, University of Alberta, Canada

"I would like to recognize Dr. Babu as an exemplary leader who played an integral role in the development of numerous students and researchers. Dr. Babu sees the potential in every trainee, and interacts with everyone with respect and care. When my research team collaborated with Dr. Babu for a study, I was an undergraduate student early in my training. However, with every interaction with Dr. Babu, he treated me as one of his colleagues and encouraged me both in my research and career endeavours. His support and teaching allowed me to develop confidence in my abilities as a budding scientist. Additionally, he provided opportunities for me to develop various skills, such as by helping me advance my scientific literacy skills through seeking my input for a manuscript. He encouraged all of my questions (even the most trivial of them), critical thinking, and pursuit of lifelong learning. Somehow, he is able to manage everything on his plate while ensuring all those around him are succeeding. Additionally, Dr. Babu stayed in touch with me beyond this collaboration; he frequently asks me about my career goals and looks for ways he could continue to support me. Dr. Babu is a kind, brilliant, yet humble man who has accomplished so much both on and off paper - beyond all his hours of hard work and mentorship that have gone into his presentations and publications, there are various kind actions of Dr. Babu that numerous researchers (both new and old) are grateful for. Great mentors and leaders shape us into the individuals we are today, and it is only with them that we are able to reach our goals. Dr. Babu has not only made a significant impact in my life, but also in the lives of his many other trainees. Dr. Babu has provided the university community beyond his research group with so much, and seeing him around campus with a bright smile on his face  and kind greetings is a testament to his caring nature. He wishes the best for everyone both in their professional and personal goals, and is always there to provide support in whatever capacity he can. He is an amazing mentor, advocate, and friend whose qualities I admire and aspire to emulate. The aforementioned reasons demonstrate why I believe that he would be an excellent candidate for this award. Thank you for your time, perusal, and consideration."

Sarah Almas, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada

"I have known Dinesh Babu for over four years when I first started as a Masters' student at the U of A. Not only was he my apartment neighbor, but also my mentor in several aspects. He is always there to help me out with my project ideas and experiments. Dr. Babu is always focus-driven and always encourages me to do the same. His encouraging words helped me transfer to the Ph.D. program, and he never fails to provide me with valuable advice in terms of my career goals. I have learned a lot from him, both academically and personally. A leader is someone who is a motivator, a selfless person reaching out to people in need of help. For me, Dinesh Babu is a 'leader'. I strongly believe he is an ideal candidate for this award."

Tejal Aslesh, University of Alberta, Canada

"During my years of graduation, I have worked with Dr. Dinesh Babu in laboratories of Nandha College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. MGR Medical University. In my opinion, Dr. Dinesh Babu is in the top 5 percent among us who works with dedication, is honest, dependable, and hardworking. His knowledge and expertise were a huge advantage during our research work that put to work in reaching the objectives. He always learns things faster and responds promptly to all the queries we ask. During graduation his motive towards research and contribution to society made him complete a doctorate degree in Belgium. He also has several research publications in peer-reviewed indexed journals which indicates his untiring efforts in the field of research. I strongly say that anyone who works with him likes him for his dedication, discipline, hardworking, punctuality, leadership qualities, and respect for others. As a classmate I know him for twenty-eight years he is a simple, polite, kind hearted and always helpful person. Without any doubt, I confidently nominate him for this award."

Hari Babu, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Chebrolu Hanumaiah Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, India

"I met Dr. Dinesh Babu at the start of my Master’s program at the University of Alberta and he welcomed me to the lab with open arms in a friendly and professional manner. Dr. Dinesh Babu has a vast amount of scientific knowledge in multiple areas and knows how to operate many different laboratory equipments and modern techniques. He has worked all over the world in both the industry and academic fields, in places such as India, South Korea, Belgium, and Canada, making him extremely versatile and easily adaptable. Even though Dr. Dinesh Babu’s current primary research involves screening the cytotoxicity of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors and carrying out toxicological assays related to drug development, he is actively training all the Master’s and PhD students in our lab, including myself. I believe that he is the “heart and soul” of our lab as he is passionate with what he does everyday and is the reason why everything in our lab is in perfect order. He is an excellent mentor and has kindly provided me with guidance through numerous experiments, along with checking up on me regularly to ensure I am progressing. Due to his ambitions, dedication, and perseverance, he has helped me sharpen my scientific skills involving experimental design, data analysis, and manuscript writing. Dr. Dinesh Babu is dependable both inside and outside of the lab, and I can confidently say that he is deserving for the “Lab Hero Award.”

Newton Tran, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

"Having known Dr. Dinesh Babu for more than a decade, I feel great gratification in writing this for him, with whom I worked and pursued graduate studies from the same university in South Korea.

As a graduate student/Research Assistant, Dr. Dinesh Babu has excelled in this role, exhibiting one of the highest levels of productivity with impressive posters, presentations and publications. Dr. Dinesh produced a high volume of interesting research results showcasing his skills and craftsmanship in the laboratory while consistently maintaining good grades in academia as well.

With his motivation, dedication and hard work, his achievement in science has undoubtedly brought him to this height with impressive peer-reviewed journals. I always see him so humble in the lab with all his lab mates mentoring them and trying to help them in their research. In addition to learning some experimental techniques, I had several thought-provoking discussions with him, where he impressed me with great research ideas and solutions. I personally feel that Dr. Dinesh has a unique personality of extending his best support to his peers. Even if Dinesh doesn't know the answer to a student's problem, he goes one step above and beyond by making extra effort in seeking the right help from other peers to resolve the student's challenges. I believe that this inherent character of him makes him a unique leader among others.

Moreover, Dr. Dinesh possesses the ultimate "can do" attitude while taking on all the tasks with positive energy and a smile to whatever challenges he faces. He is very well organized and keeps track of the details necessary to coordinate the documentation and records of the laboratory to run it efficiently. He is a colleague of high moral and ethical values to whom anyone can reach for advice and assistance. I have reached to him for my career advice and reference, at which time he always extended his best help to me. The accolades he has achieved so far are a sign of his hard work and leadership, and I would highly recommend him for the Lab Hero award."

Santhosh Kumar, Product Development, Citragen Pharmaceuticals Inc, United States

"It was during my postdoc at the Heymans Institute of Pharmacology in Ghent that I met Dinesh. At that time Dinesh was an enthusiastic and skilled PhD student but what struck me most about him - and what I will always remember - was his attitude towards life. Ever smiling Dinesh radiated positivity and brought happiness to the people that surrounded him and was the type of person you could always count on be it for moral support or for scientific discussion. His warm and inspiring personality make him a true hero."

Filip de Vin, Laboratory of Viral Cell Biology & Therapeutics, KU Leuven, Belgium

"I am very enthusiastic about supporting Dinesh Babu for this award.  As my postdoctoral fellow for 5 years, Dinesh has always shown dedication and integrity in his work but combines this with being cognizant of the needs of his junior peers.  Dinesh has been a saviour throughout the tough lockdown days of the pandemic, and thereafter.  As his supervisor, I need to remind Dinesh to focus on his objectives as he constantly tries to balance this out with helping.  He has trained younger peers in proper laboratory approaches and methods, and more senior graduate students benefit from his diverse expertise.  In some cases, I only find out after the fact that he meets with other PIs to assist with the thesis projects of other students. Recently, we had to prepare for a laboratory safety audit.  Dinesh was very diligent in volunteering for duties that helped out lab be ready for the audit, which turned out to be successful.  I am certain that any student that has worked with Dinesh would not hesitate to offer him their thanks and recognize how helpful he has been to them.  As a team member, Dinesh is the ideal individual to have as part of my group and sets an exemplary approach of how to be a productive and valuable team player.  He is without a doubt highly deserving of this award."

Arno Siraki, University of Alberta, Canada

"I have known Dr. Dinesh Babu for more than a decade since 2009. He visited my laboratory to learn about the preclinical studies involving animal samples. His technical skills and analytical curiosity had put pressure on me to learn more before I handled a researcher like him. He was a quick learner who I always found reliable and helpful. Our professional bonding became stronger than ever after he started his PhD position at Ghent University, Belgium and until now where is a Post Doctorate Fellow at the University of Alberta, Canada. He has upgraded himself with advanced scientific skills in drug discovery research in a global team, which also improved his communication and leadership skills. His sound skills in his research field made me to connect him with my students. He started acting as a mentor to them and helped our laboratory to generate good publications. I am proud to say that he has coauthored with us in all of our high-indexed journal papers.

His teamwork, discipline and moreover a good human nature make him always a person in demand. As per my knowledge, he has helped many students in need, whatever way it demands, despite having his busy lab works. He is an inspiration and motivational teacher to my students and me. Hence, I recommend him for this award. He is a true inspiring lab hero!"

Sushil Middha, Biotechnology, Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni College For Women, India

"Dr. Dinesh Babu is a versatile person in diverse areas as he has started his career in marketing & distribution followed by the production & formulation industry, transforming himself as a research assistant, academician, research scholar, and now as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow. He had worked with researchers of various levels from various parts of the world. My journey with Dr. Dinesh Babu started in March 2020 after being introduced by my colleague to design my research work aiming towards processing and publishing in a well-indexed impact factor journal. During this journey, I have found his sincerity, dedication, commitment to the work being involved by him. He was immensely supportive at all the stages of the project, from the experimental design, analysis, interpretation and until the publication of the manuscript. He connected himself as a good researcher and built confidence, quality and trust with a fruitful outcome (a good publication in the European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences)  . He believed strongly in the quality of our research work and strived to publish in a good journal even after several rejections from high-indexed journals. In addition to learning the science, the way he drafted the manuscript and addressed the reviewer’s comments were mind-blowing, which gave an additional learning experience to me. His logical thoughts with listing the points systematically, referencing widely in each aspects word by word from the first to end, was an amazing skill that I have learnt from him. Only with his efforts, the research work got published in a well-indexed journal with an impact factor of >4.3. Well, apart from the journal communication, we do discuss in general about families, politics, current science and so on. He is really a down-to-earth persona and a good learner cum listener. He is a person of sound knowledge in literatures and brings in meaningful and well-engaged conversations. His contact in every corner of the world highlights his caliber and friendly nature. I have a tenacious opinion that. Dr Dinesh Babu will easily go beyond this benchmark, and I absolutely support his nomination for the Lab Hero award from Hello Bio."

Ramkanth Sundarapandian, Pharmaceutics, Karpagam College of Pharmacy, India

"I have known Dr. Dinesh Babu since 2010 when he started his PhD at Ghent University in Belgium. I always found him to be a very enthusiastic person and very energetic. He gave us a lot of joy in the lab. He is a hard-working person and I have never heard him complain about bad results or long working hours. He would ask for help when he needed extra hands. In addition to this, he always taught me a lot and shared his expertise with me. Even after I left the lab in 2013, we continued to keep in contact and I receive his kind regards every year. With all of these qualities, I would like to nominate him for this award."

Sze Men Choi, Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University, Belgium

"Dinesh is an ardent researcher who has an interest in learning novel sciences every day which led him to his impressive multi-country education and research experience abroad for more than a decade. He is always positive and motivated all the time with a keen interest in learning and sharing about science.

He has helped a few in my network with their experiments and career guidance, which have helped them to grow in their life. He has a high standard of scientific traits with positive communication and teamwork which resulted in some collaborative publications. His knowledge, expertise, and diligence are really praiseworthy. His contribution to his field is notable."

Saibal Das, Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, Indian Council of Medical Research, India

"I strongly recommend Dr. Dinesh Babu, post-doctoral researcher for Lab Heroes Awards™ 2021. I know Dr. Dinesh Babu since June, 2016 as I am his postdoctoral colleague in the University of Alberta. I worked very closely with him on several research projects. As a result, I have become very familiar with Dr. Dinesh Babu. Accordingly, I am writing this because it is my sincere belief that he is eminently qualified to be a recipient of Lab Heroes Awards™ 2021.

Over the past several years, Dr. Dinesh Babu has demonstrated to me that he is a good communicator and gifted teacher. In my opinion, he is the perfect model for researcher as well as teacher in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. I personally observed that he is a highly dedicated professional who knows how to motivate his students and colleagues to strive for excellence. Dr. Dinesh Babu is a dynamic and powerful communicator who possesses the gift of being able to make complex subjects understandable. In spite of these formidable gifts, he is a humble and approachable person who loves to share his extensive knowledge with others, his students in particular.

Under his supervision several students have been motivated to strive for and achieve exceptionally high standards in formulation of research hypothesis. In my observation, he provides the students with outstanding mentorship in the disciplines of: research study design, protocol writing, data analysis, reporting and publication of research findings in peer reviewed  journals. Dr. Dinesh Babu has been helping young researchers to develop their career as independent investigators/scientist. In many areas, both personally and professionally, Dr. Dinesh Babu has taught and encouraged the students, young researchers, and colleagues to meet challenges that they had never before thought possible.

In closing, it is with sincere conviction that I enthusiastically recommend that Dr. Dinesh Babu be selected as a recipient of Lab Heroes Awards™ 2021."

Chalamaiah Meram, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Canada

"Dr. Dinesh Babu is my colleague at the same laboratory. He is a very hard working, detail-oriented and always willing to help person. We work together on the same project. Dinesh is very professional, trustworthy and a good team player.

Dinesh's kind, honest and balanced nature is a great asset in the laboratory environment. I am happy to support his nomination to this award and positive he has got all the skills to achieve his goals."

Lusine Tonoyan, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

"It is my honor to nominate Dinesh Babu, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta for this award. When I first started participating in research as an undergraduate student, I met various obstacles such as experimental design, laboratory maintenance, and most importantly, understanding the science. Dinesh would always reach out to me and help me with each task. He did not only explain the basic protocols but also explicitly taught me the science and the reasons behind them. He always told me that it is not enough only to understand the protocol, a researcher should always understand the science behind it too. I have learned various analysis techniques, documentation skills, statistics, and logic of experimental design from him. I feel what he has taught me in 8 months is more than the sum of what I learned from 3 years of my undergraduate program. I had many experimental failures due to the lack of experience and Dinesh always assisted me to troubleshoot and improving my protocols. I would not have achieved my current position as a Master’s student without his support and wisdom. He is always friendly and easy to talk to. I really appreciate his planning skills in both experiments and lab maintenance. During the COVID, he ordered lab equipment in excess and planned the experiments ahead so our progress will not be delayed by the pandemic. He always actively communicates with us in the lab to understand our plan and needs to assist us at the right time. Furthermore, by sharing his past research experience in Korea and Belgium, he delivered the discipline and the attitude one should have in research to us. His passion has always encouraged me. When there is an issue in our lab, Dinesh is the guy you go to. Unfortunately, due to the word limit of this nomination, I could not share all the joy and wisdom that Dinesh brought to our lab. I wish everyone could appreciate his kindness and attitude to science. Speaking of a “Lab Hero”, Dinesh is my No.1 choice!"

Yiheng Liu, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada

"I am pleased to nominate Dr. Dinesh Babu for the “Lab Heroes Award 2021”. Having been introduced by my college senior, I have known him for more than seven years. I have successfully collaborated with him on a few research projects which resulted in some publications for us. I always found him dependable, efficient, helpful and unfailingly punctual.

He began making contributions to the research field when he started his Doctorate degree in Belgium and continues it till now with his proven track of publications in peer-reviewed indexed journals. I always reach out to him for any research queries as he is of best help with his sound research knowledge. His research skills do not end with lab work. He always projected a warm, cheerful attitude towards fellow researchers in my network who reach out to him, resolved their queries, and guided them in a proper way to conduct good ethical research. His constant motivation and support have greatly helped me both to pursue my graduate studies and for my career growth. I learned a lot from him about the discipline, dedication and commitment towards research, which he has. Apart from being a sincere researcher, he is a good human being, who has been helping many people in all possible aspects even among his busy schedules. With all the above qualities, I nominate him with confidence for the award."

Anand Ramasamy, Department of Pharmacology, MDA School of Pharmacy, India

Nomination Category: Lab Leader

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Who's your Lab Hero?

This is your chance to give back to the scientists who make – or who have made – a positive difference to your life, career, and workplace. That might be putting in extra effort in the lab, supporting their colleagues in difficult times, producing incredible results through their work, or making the lab a better place for everyone...

NOMINATE YOUR LAB HERO NOW!

Nominations close 8th December 2021. T&Cs apply.