LONDON: Three Indians are among 55 academically exceptional and socially committed people from across the globe selected for the prestigious Gates Cambridge scholarship. 

The Indians selected for the scholarship include - Sagnik Dutta, Sampurna Chakrabarti and Malavika Nair. 

The 55 scholars come from 30 countries representing 68 universities. They will study in 39 University Departments and be members of 24 Colleges. Women outnumber men by a ratio of 36 to 19. 

Dutta, who worked as a journalist in India for six years and has been a student of University of Calcutta, will do a PhD in politics and international studies. 

Chakrabarti will do a PhD in pharmacology. 

"I will be studying drug targets for arthritic pain in the lab of Dr Ewan St John Smith at the Department of Pharmacology. My research will help understand arthritis and pain pathologies that affects millions of people worldwide," Chakrabarti said. 

Nair, who joined the University of Cambridge to pursue Bachelor's and Master's degrees in materials science and Metallurgy under the Natural Sciences Tripos, will do a PhD materials science. 

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship selects applicants who are academically outstanding and are likely to be transformative leaders for the benefit of others in all fields of endeavour. 

"We are delighted to have awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarships to 55 outstanding individuals from such a wide spread of countries and backgrounds," Professor Barry Everitt Provost (CEO) of the Gates Cambridge Trust said.

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