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Affiliations & Academic
Qualifications

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April 2024 onwards

Batch of 1980 Chair Professor, Department of Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology, IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.

 

November 2019 – April 2024

Professor, Department of Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology, IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.

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June 2014 – November 2019

Associate Professor, Department of Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology, IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.

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November 2008 – June 2014

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology, IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.

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December 2007 – October 2008

Lecturer (Biotechnology), Applied Mechanics Department, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, UP, 211004, India.

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January 2004 – July 2007

Postdoctoral Research Scientist at GSF-National Research Centre for Environment & Health, Munich, Germany with Prof. (Dr.) Michael Schloter.

 

2004

Ph.D., under the supervision of Prof. (Dr.) Anton Hartmann, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.

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1999   M.Sc. (Botany)

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, India.

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1997   B.Sc. (Botany Hons.)

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, India.

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Teaching

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  • BBL752 Microbial Ecology

  • BBL132 General Microbiology

  • BBL341 Environmental Biotechnology

  • BBL740 Plant Biotechnology

  • BBL830 Microbial Biochemistry

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Membership of Societies and Associations​
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  • Life Member of the Indian Science Congress Association.

  • Annual Member of the International Society for Microbial Ecology (2014).

  • Life Member of the Biotech Research Society of India.

  • Life Member of the Association of Microbiologists of India.

  • Life Member of the National Environmentalists Association of India.

  • Life Member of the National Academy of Biological Sciences.

  • Life Member of the National Academy of Sciences, India.

  • Executive Council Member, Asian PGPR Society, August 2017 onwards.

  • Life Member of Society for Environment and Development, January 2019 onwards.

  • Life member of the New York Academy of Sciences

Ongoing Projects

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  • Enhanced production of piperine using elicitation by endophytes, SERB-TARE, Role: Mentor.
     

  • Engineering rhizosphere microbiota for enhanced resistance to plant disease and human pathogens through compost amendments, CEFIPRA, Role: Principal Investigator.
     

  • Targeted engineering of rhizosphere microbiome for enhancing growth parameters of tomato under abiotic stress, SERB, Role: Principal Investigator.
     

  • Transfer of general soil suppressiveness to conducive soil, SPARC, Role: Principal Investigator.
     

  • Harnessing the inherent potential of soil microbiome in inducing disease suppressiveness in arable land, DBT, Role: Principal Investigator.​

Awards & Achievements​​​​

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  • Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (2024).
     

  • Selected among the inaugural cohort of 20 mid-career women for the Women Leadership in STEM (WLS) program by Grand Challenges India, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and WomenLift Health (2024).
     

  • Inaugural winner of the TATA Transformation Prize in Food Security (2023) - Press Release
     

  • Selected as one of the 75 women in India to be featured in "She is: 75 Women in STEAM", joint honour conferred by Government of India and British High Commission to commemorate 75 years of Independence (2022).

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  • Women Scientist Medal (2021) by the Indian Botanical Society.

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  • Women Scientist Award (for 2020) by the Biotech Research Society, India (BRSI).

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  • Board member of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology Division, Asian Federation of Biotechnology.​

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  • Conducted short-term course entitled "Environmental Sustainability through Microorganisms" under Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP-III) at IIT Delhi, November 2019.

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  • Conducted short term course entitled "Microbial Diversity for Human Welfare" under Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP-III) at IIT Delhi, April 2018.

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  • Selected for (and successfully completed) EMBO Research Leadership Course, New Delhi, March 2018.

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  • IIT Delhi Alumni Association Award for Best Project, Open House IIT Delhi, 21 April 2017​​.

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  • Chairperson for the session "Mechanisms of PGPR" in 4th Asian PGPR Conference, Hanoi, Vietnam (3–6 May 2015).​​​​

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  • Young Scientist Award by the Centre for Education Growth and Research, India, 2014.

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  • Finalist of NASI Scopus Young Scientist Awards 2014 in the field of Agriculture.

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  • Innovative Young Scientist Award by the Asian PGPR Society, 2014.

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  • Visiting scientist at the Institute of Botany, University of Basel, Switzerland (June 2012), sponsored by Indo-Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology.

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  • Young Scientist Award by the National Environmentalists' Association, India (December 2011).

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  • Young Scientist Award by the Association of Microbiologists of India (November 2011).​​​​​​

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  • Sapna Laroia Memorial "Outstanding Young Faculty Fellowship", 2009 (for three years), IIT Delhi.

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  • IIT Delhi Alumni Association Award for Best Project, Open House, IIT Delhi, 2010.

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  • Banaras Hindu University medal for standing first in Botany at M.Sc. Final examination.

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  • Late Prof. R.S. Inamdar Memorial Gold Medal for securing highest marks in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

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  • Gayatri Prakash Dulari Medal for securing highest marks among girl students in Botany at M.Sc examination, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

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  • Late Prof. Ram Nagina Singh prize for securing highest percentage of marks at M.Sc. Final Botany examination, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

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  • Malviya Gold Medal for standing first in Botany B.Sc. Hons. Part III examination, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

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  • Banaras Hindu University prize for standing first in Botany at B.Sc. Hons. Part III examination.​​

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