Dr. Swapna Thacheril Sukumaran is currently officiating as Professor and Head of the Department of Botany, University of Kerala. She completed her doctoral research in the Department of Biotechnology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, India. She has twenty-six years of teaching and research experience and published 13 books and over 120 research papers in reputed journals. Her research areas include in vitro secondary metabolite production, medicinal plant conservation, phytochemistry. Dr. Swapna is a recipient of research grants from the Department of Environment and Climate change, Western Ghats Cell, & State Medicinal Plant Board, Government of Kerala, University Grants Commission, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. She is also serving as a Member of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board. She is a Life Member of Biotech Research Society of India and Society for Biotechnologists.Dr. Keerthi TR currently served as Professor in Biotechnology, School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. She has awarded her PhD from Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin, Kerala, India. She has more than twenty years of experience in teaching and 25years in research. Her area of interests are Probiotics, Prebiotic, Microbiome and Bioprospecting of Marine microbe. She has published more than 35 papers in reputed peer reviewed journals and 6 Book Chapters. She is member of number of academic and administrative bodies in her university and other universities. She serves as reviewer of more than 10 international journals as well as editorial member of few journals. She has Membership in International Probiotics Association, Asian Federation of Biotechnology, Korea; Indian Dairy Association), New Delhi and Microbiosociety, Kerala.
