Ravigadevi Sambanthamurthi (born July 13, 1955) is a Malaysian biochemist and scientific researcher at the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. She established the Advanced Biotechnology and Breeding Centre, which were the first to decode the genome of oil palm. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2025.
Early life and education Sambanthamurthi was born in Johor Bahru. She studied biochemistry at the University of Malaya, and moved to the United Kingdom in 1979. Sambanthamurthi completed her doctoral research at University College London, where she performed chromosome mapping of pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Research and career Sambanthamurthi is the Founding Director of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board Advanced Biotechnology and Breeding Centre. Here she established the Oil Palm Genome Project, which looked to enhance the profitability of oil palm plantations. The Oil Palm Genome Project decoded the genome of oil palm. She identified the SHELL gene, which regulates thickness of the fruit shell, which impacts oil yield. By testing for SHELL DNA,
By performing epigenome-wide association studies of Elaeis guineensis, Sambanthamurthi described the 'mantled' abnormality oil palm fruit, where differentiated somatic cells (somaclonal variation) result in reduced yields.
Sambanthamurthi was the first researcher based in Malaysia to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Awards and honours
2022 Lifetime Achievement Award In Conjunction With The Oils And Fats International Congress 2024 Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences 2024 Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia 2024 Invention and Design Society Luminary Award 2025 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society
Select publications
References