Rear-View Mirror on My Successful Failures - Professor Arijit Mukhopadhyay

In this Inaugural Professorial Lecture, Professor Arijit Mukhopadhyay reflects on a career shaped more by failures than successes. A passionate cricketer who failed to play professionally, he became a chemist in industry and research labs, only to fail again—before finding purpose in human genetics. These “successful failures” were not dead ends but turning points, moments that redirected his path and shaped his values.

Professor Mukhopadhyay’s research in human genetics and genomics spans population genetics, healthy ageing, glaucoma, cancer, dementia, and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. What connects these diverse areas is not just the science, but the messy, subjective, deeply human stories behind them. Genetic diseases are rarely only about molecules; they are about lived realities—of families, inequities, and communities navigating uncertainty. For him, genetics is not simply data, but a language for storytelling that bridges biology and society.

Glaucoma exemplifies this vision. In contexts where access to genetic testing and counselling is limited, families face preventable blindness and systemic inequity. Through genomics, advocacy, and films, Professor Mukhopadhyay shows how research can move beyond the lab to reshape narratives of prevention, dignity, and justice.

He acknowledges the privileges of his roots, mentorship, collaboration, and student voices, alongside the failures—unfunded grants, disproved hypotheses, unfinished experiments—that taught resilience and redirection. Just as driving forward requires a glance in the rear-view mirror, so too does reflecting on failures illuminate the path ahead.

This lecture emphasises a universal message: fulfilment lies not in destinations or accolades, but in the journey itself—with all its setbacks, surprises, and the human stories that give scholarship meaning.

Professor Arijit Mukhopadhyay

Professor Arijit Mukhopadhyay joined the University of Salford in 2016 as Lecturer in Human Genetics, was promoted to Reader in 2018, and appointed Chair in Precision Health in 2024.

Originally from Kolkata, India, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemistry before completing a PhD in Genetics. His doctoral thesis work led to the first genetic studies of the most common form of glaucoma in India. He secured a prestigious Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship in The Netherlands, where he discovered two new genes for developmental eye diseases. In 2007, he became a Group Leader at a leading genomics institute in Delhi, where he played an important role as part of a large national network of scientists mapping Indian genetic diversity.

At Salford, Professor Mukhopadhyay’s research focuses on human genetics and genomics with applications in glaucoma, dementia, cancer, autism, and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. He has supervised 16 PhD students to completion and mentored many more at different stages of their academic journeys.

With over 70 peer-reviewed publications, several book chapters, two films, and more than 3,100 citations (h-index 31), Professor Mukhopadhyay exemplifies an academic career shaped by innovation, collaboration, and public engagement.

Registration is from 5.30pm with the lecture starting promptly at 6pm.

This lecture will be live streamed via Microsoft Teams Live from 6pm . If you would prefer to attend online, please register for a 'Teams Live' ticket to receive the Live event link which will be emailed to you the day before the lecture.

This lecture will be recorded however the audience will not be shown. By attending this event in-person, you consent to this recording.

If you have any questions or access requirements please get in touch with the Events Team on events@salford.ac.uk or 0161 295 2313.