V.J. Philip, former Professor of Botany and founder head of the Department of Biotechnology, University of Calicut, passed away at a private hospital in Kottayam on Saturday (October 18).
Born in 1938 at Mannakkanad in Kottayam district, he got a postgraduate degree in Botany from Loyola College, then Madras, in 1958, and secured a PhD from Madras University in 1965. Mr. Philip joined the University of Calicut (CU) in 1968 and set up the Department of Biotechnology there in 1994-95. The department was sanctioned a bio-technology centre, the sixth in the country, under the Department of Biotechnology of the Union government in 1995. He is survived by his wife, Mary Philip, one son and two daughters.
A release from the university said Mr. Philip visited Venezuela in 1996 and Sri Lanka in 1997 as an expert designated by UNESCO. He also published research papers in various international journals. Mr. Philip retired from service in 1999, the release added.
Published – October 18, 2025 09:08 pm IST
