Virender Lal Chopra was a Graduate from Central College of Agriculture, Delhi, in 1955. He went to the Institute of Genetics, the University of Cologne, on scholarship and obtained his doctorate in Genetics from the University of Edinburgh. His specialization was in the Genetic effects of irradiated or chemically treated media in Drosophila and microorganisms. He was In-Charge of the planning and management of research in Genetics and Biotechnology in IARI. He was a member of the scientific advisory committee to the prime minister of India. Because of his outstanding contributions, he was conferred with Padma Bhushan in 1985 by the Government of India. He is the recipient of the Borlaug Award, Om Prakash Bhasin Award, and Honor Summus Medal of the Watumull Foundation, USA. He was the Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences in 1989 and was honored by four universities with honorary doctorates.

Sachindananda Banerjee obtained his DSc from the University of Kolkata in 1945. He specialized in physiology and nutrition. He determined that the structure of camel hemoglobin differs from any other hemoglobin. He demonstrated that vitamin C deficiency in Guinea pigs and monkeys led to diminished insulin secretion and produced metabolic changes similar to those of diabetes in human beings. He also found the calorie requirements of Indians under different occupancies and demonstrated the unsuitability of FAO standards for Indians. He was the Head of the Physiology Department, SMS Medical College, Jaipur, and shouldered responsibility at SP Medical College, Bikaner and, Department of Physiology in Presidency College, Kolkata.