Professor K.G. Ramawat (born 1952) did his Ph.D. in 1974 (Botany: Plant Biotechnology) from the University of Jodhpur, Jodhpur, India and joined as a faculty member in 1979. He later joined M.L. Sukhadia University as Associate Professor in 1991 and became Professor in 2001. He served as Head, Department of Botany (2001-2004), In-charge, Department of Biotechnology (2003-2004), member task force on medicinal and aromatic plants, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, New Delhi (2002-2005). He did his Post-doctoral at the University of Tours, France (1983-85) and subsequently worked as visiting professor at the University of Tours (1991) and the University of Bordeaux 2, France (1995, 1999, 2003, 2006). He has published more than 100 research papers and review articles in reputed journals and has edited reference books on medicinal plants.Professor J.M. Merillon(born 1953) did his M.Pharma (1979) and Ph.D. (1984) from the University of Tours, Tours, France. He joined the University of Tours as faculty member in 1982 and became Associate Professor in 1987 and a full Professor in 1993 at the faculty of Pharmacy, Univeristy of Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France. He is currently group leader of 'study group on biologically active plant substances, Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences' with 30 scientists and research students. He has published more than 80 research papers in internationally recognized journals and edited a book on Bioactive Molecules.

• Biotechnology for Medicinal Plants: Research Need; Secondary Plant Products in Nature; Factors Affecting the Production of Secondary Metabolites; Production of Food Additives; Production of Insecticides; Production of Antitumour Compounds; Production of Alkaloids; Production of Steroids and Saponins; Understanding the Regulatory Mechanism of Secondary Metabolite Production; Production of Secondary Metabolites by Bioconversion; Genetic Transformation for Production of Secondary Metabolites; Large-scale Production in Bioreactors; Microbial Secondary Metabolites for Drug Discovery; Lichen Products; Chinese Herbal Drug Industry: Past Present and Future; Secondary Metabolites in in vitro Cultures of Ruta graveolens L. and Ruta graveolens ssp. divaricata (Tenore) Gams; Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activity of Extracts and Secondary Metabolites Obtained from Plants and Lichens of Patagonia Austral; Production of Ergot Alkaloids from Claviceps; Tools and Techniques for the Study of Plant Tissue Culture; Practicals