Dr Swaminathan is the former Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization and previously Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research. She is a pediatrician from India and a globally recognised expert in tuberculosis and HIV research. She is now Chairperson at the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and Principal Advisor to India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme. She serves on the boards of Alliance Bioversity, Population Foundation of India, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, and Women Lift Health. She is also a member of the Governing Council of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission and chairs the Scientific Advisory Board of the Indian Council of Medical Research. Dr Swaminathan received her academic training in India, the UK and the US. She holds honorary doctorates from institutions like Karolinska Institute, EPFL Lausanne and McGill University, and is a Fellow of the US National Academy of Medicine, the Academy of Medical Sciences (UK), and all major science academies in India. She was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.