Indian researcher recalls life-changing mentorship of late Nobel laureate Ada Yonath

For Tanaya Bose, her years in the laboratory of late Nobel laureate Ada Yonath were marked by both scientific discovery and personal transformation.

Yonath, the Israeli structural biologist who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome, passed away on August 31, 2026, at 87.

For Dr. Bose, now a scientist at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in Kolkata, Yonath’s lasting influence lies as much in her approach to mentorship as in her scientific achievements.

Over seven years, from November 2016 to September 2023, Dr. Bose witnessed a scientist who was willing to take risks on young researchers, give them difficult problems to solve, and step aside to let them receive recognition for their work.

“She was not afraid of giving away the spotlight,” Dr. Bose recalled. “In fact, she seemed to believe that the spotlight was meant to be passed on.”Yonath is known for helping unravel one of biology’s most fundamental molecular machines. Ribosomes translate genetic instructions carried by messenger RNA into chains of amino acids, without which proteins — essential for catalysing reactions and providing structural support — cannot be made. Her mapping of the ribosome led to new designs for antibiotics.

Yonath had a long association with India. Her visits were facilitated through the Kerala State Higher Education Council’s Erudite Scholar-in-Residence Programme, which brought nearly 300 distinguished scholars to the state. During her 2019 visit, she interacted with teachers and students at Mahatma Gandhi University and Kerala University.