Aniruddha Chatterjee

Associate Professor Aniruddha Chatterjee is a distinguished epigeneticist and internationally recognized scholar in the fields of genomics and cancer biology. He is a former Rutherford Discovery Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (2018–2024) and currently a Sir Charles Hercus Fellow of the Health Research Council of New Zealand (from 2025). 

His research has produced the first DNA methylation maps of several cell types and organisms. He has identified aberrant epigenetic and gene expression patterns across multiple tumour types and uncovered novel epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in cancer cells. With more than 110 publications, he is globally ranked among leading scholars in methylation research (ScholarGPS, 2024) and has also been listed among the world’s top 2% scientists in the Stanford List (2025). 

Prof. Chatterjee has over 15 years of research experience and more than 12 years of post-Ph.D. academic leadership experience as of 2025. He has served as Associate Dean of Research at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand, and currently holds the position of Associate Dean International for the Division of Health Sciences. 

He is the founder and director of the Epigenetics User Group based at the University of Otago and is also a UKCGE-recognised research supervisor. His career reflects substantial leadership in research governance, academic mentoring, and international collaboration. 

Epigenetics, Liquid Biopsy, Cancer Biology, Genomics, Bioinformatics. 

Prof. Chatterjee’s teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that strong conceptual clarity is the foundation of meaningful learning. He creates an engaging and intellectually rigorous classroom where students connect principles of biomedical science, epigenetics, and genomics with real-world biological and clinical challenges. 

Through interactive discussions, research-driven case studies, and critical data interpretation, he develops students into independent thinkers and effective decision makers. He fosters a vibrant and collaborative learning environment by nurturing curiosity, encouraging inquiry, and empowering students to translate molecular insights into impactful biomedical understanding. 

Prof. Chatterjee has received numerous national and international recognitions, including the Illumina Award (2015), two Best Collaboration Awards from Health Research South (2017 and 2021), Wellcome Trust UK Scholarship (2016), NIH USA Scholarship for genomics training (2019), ThermoFisher Excellence in Molecular Biology Award, Roche Translational Cancer Researcher Award, and the Sixer Award from the Department of Pathology, University of Otago (2025). 

Cancer Pathology, Epigenetics and Disease, Multi-Omics, Bioinformatics. He has also conducted workshops on scientific publishing in life sciences and career development for research students. 

Prof. Chatterjee has developed and led an internationally recognized programme in genomics and epigenetics, reflected in his globally impactful publications, competitive grants, prestigious fellowships, and academic honours. He serves as an invited reviewer for over 40 international journals and is on the editorial board of nine journals. 

In recognition of his leadership, he has been selected as an executive member of the International Human Epigenome Consortium and has served with the Australasian Epigenetics Alliance, Metastasis Research Society, and International Cancer Epigenetics Society. 

He has also produced digital academic content for international audiences on research and career development, attracting over 11,000 views. His outreach includes media appearances in newspapers, blogs, radio, and sustained public engagement through academic social media initiatives. 

aniruddha.chatterjee@otago.ac.nz