Dr Krishna Rao Dronamraju Obituary

Dr Krishna Rao Dronamraju died on 3rd December 2020 in Houston Texas. He was a ground-breaking geneticist, favourite student of scientist J B S Haldane, and a great friend who inspired my work.

His pioneering work led to the first verifiable discovery of a gene on the Y chromosome. He gained a PhD from the Indian Statistical institute in Calcutta, India and received advanced training from University College, London and John Hopkins University followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in genetics at the University of Alberta.

The turning point in his life was his collaboration with the renowned geneticist J B S Haldane, carrying out research in India. Haldane played a significant role in his development as a scientist, and they developed a father-son relationship that exceeded the mentor-student role. Through Haldane, he was a close friend of many famous people including heads of State in USA & India, Arthur C Clarke and writers Aldous Huxley and Naomi Mitchison.

Dr Dronamraju wrote 22 books. Besides several books about Haldane, his works also included a biography of Julian Huxley and several histories of genetics. He also edited a number of anthologies related to genetic research. The first picture was taken when I first met Dr Krishna at the launch of "Popularizing Science" his biography of Haldane at Blackwells in Oxford, (shown in the second picture).

We send our love to his wife Michele Wambaugh and his family. We will miss him greatly. May he rest in peace.

A full obituary appeared in the India Herald.