Biotechnological Advances for Disease Tolerance in Plants

Prof. (Dr.) Kashmir Singh, is the professor of Biotechnology and Coordinator, DST- Centre for Policy Research (CPR), at Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh. He has over  18 years of teaching and research experience with active participation in administrative activities as well. He has vast international exposure and worked as Marie Curie Post Doc Fellow in Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland, Research Associate, at Missouri State University, USA and visiting scientist at McGill University, Canada. He has authored more than 100 national and international publications and editor of reputed international journals. Three patents are credit to him and 01 successful technology transfer to the industry. He is having an active association with different scientific societies and academies around the world. Prof. Singh has made his mark in the scientific communities with his contributions and received wide recognition from various agencies around the world. Prof. Kashmir Singh's major research interest involves Plant Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Intellectual Properties (IP) and Technology Transfer and Public Private Partnerships.

Dr. Ravneet Kaur is currently working as a Women Scientist at the Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, India. She carried out her PhD studies in India (Guru Nanak Dev University), where she got specialized in Plant tissue culture and biotechnology. She is the recipient of international fellowships such as  Marie Curie post doc Fellowship at Adam Mickiewicz university, Poland, Post-doctoral fellow, McGill University, Canada and post-doctoral fellow, Missouri State University, US. She has more than 25 publications in various national and international journals. Her research is  focused on using functional genomics tools to understand secondary metabolism and stress tolerance in crops.

Dr. Rupesh Deshmukh currently working as Associate Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh, India. He earned his Ph.D. in agricultural biotechnology from SRTMU, Nanded, India. During his postdoctoral research in Quebec, Canada, Dr. Deshmukh delved into the molecular mechanisms underpinning the uptake of silicon, a beneficial metalloid, in plants. His pioneering work included the identification of metalloid transporter genes in various plant species, showcasing the power of whole-genome sequencing in gene discovery and its subsequent application in breeding programs. Subsequently, he pursued another postdoctoral research opportunity at Missouri University, USA, where he contributed to research focused on enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in plants. His wide-ranging interests in plant science encompass computational biology, gene identification methodologies such as QTL mapping and GWAS, as well as the elucidation of molecular mechanisms through the integration of omics approaches. Dr. Deshmukh possesses an impressive publication record, with more than one hundred fifty articles published in esteemed journals. He has also lent his expertise as a Visiting Professor at University Laval, Canada, to a project aimed at improving biotic and abiotic stress resilience in plants through genomics interventions. Currently, his research group is actively engaged in translational genomics endeavours centred around rice and tomato.