Fiji’s First PhD Harvard Graduate to Focus on NCDs

His dream to do something about pollution drove Nilendra Krishna Nair to excel academically.

The son of the former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Itendra Nair, had left Fiji in 2009 on a Public Service Commission scholarship in Canada.

“Growing up in Nasova, the number and amount of pollution on the seaside then, drove me to this profession,” Mr Nair said.

He is the first Fijian to graduate from Harvard University with his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Planetary Health, Climate Change and Nutritional Epidemiology.

Humble beginings

Thirteen years away from home was no easy journey but determination pushed him for a double from Harvard – the first was his Masters in Epidermiology.

Now 31, Mr Nair is a clinical genetic scientist working at Mount Sinai Health System, the largest hospital network in New York City, United States.

Growing up he witnessed the injustice of human behaviour towards the environment, the pushed him to climb up the ladder to be an agent of change.

“Growing in an urban community, challenged me since I was young to bring about change within my household first and then my community,” he said.

“We use to live in the Nasova Police Barracks which was near the sea wall, I would see the growing number of pollution contributed by communities that live close to the sea,” hesaid.

“That gave me the interest of what can I do about the environment and what pathways I needed to follow.”

Following his pathway to reaching his destiny he had attended Nehru Primary School and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School in Suva.

He left for Canada in 2009 on a PSC scholarship, not completing his Form 7 education. After two years in Canada, he moved to the USA to further his studies.

Mr Nair completed his PhD programme, which typically takes six years to complete; it took him four years.

“Being surrounded by top talent from across the country was challenging, but it was an opportunity to set high standards for myself,” he said.

“I often pushed myself to excel, especially with so many expectations weighing on me.”

Nilendra Krishna Nair with parents Itendra Nair and Sabita Nair.

Dream and passion

Hanging onto the dream of exploring his full potential, he felt like giving up and throwing in the towel crossed his mind.

It was the sacrifices of his parents sowing the seed to provide quality education for him became his anchor.

His journey started from scratch as he was born in Labasa born. He is now travelling the world, his expertise in genetics and microbiome research aims to shed light on the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the South Pacific.

“I’m focused on understanding the genetic basis of diseases in the diverse Fijian population. This area has been largely overlooked, so I transitioned from biological to clinical research to address critical gaps in our understanding of diabetes and related Non-Communicable Diseases,” he said.

As part of his PhD thesis, he collaborates with the government of Kiribati to examine the factors driving the nutrition transition in the region.

Currently on vacation in Suva, he is also working to engage with the Fijian population.

“I’m aiming to collaborate closely with the Health Ministry and the Fiji National University, and the response to my research on NCDs has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said.

His research will go beyond existing frameworks to explore the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of NCD development, identifying the genes that contribute to disease. He emphasised that sometimes diseases are not solely genetic and may skip generations, highlighting the role of environmental factors as well.

“My goal is to focus on disease prevention for future generations and identify the most effective treatments,” he said.

Mr Nair will continue his work on the nexus of climate change, planetary and human health at Harvard as the first Fijian postdoctoral research fellow and instructor.

Feedback: sosiveta.korobiau@fijisun.com.fj