Dr. Vishnu Mishra is a distinguished researcher with a comprehensive plant biotechnology and molecular biology background. He completed his master’s in plant biotechnology from the prestigious Banaras Hindu University. Further, he demonstrated his expertise by qualifying for national-level exams such as the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), and Department of Biotechnology-Junior Research Fellowship (DBT-JRF). Dr. Mishra pursued his PhD at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research, affiliated with Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he developed a strong foundation in plant biology and plant-microbe interactions.Currently, Dr. Mishra is a Research Scientist at the University of Delaware, where he continues advancing research in plant-microbe interactions, genomics, biotechnology, and molecular biology. His scholarly contributions are notable, with numerous research articles, reviews, and book chapters published in prestigious journals. In addition to his research, Dr. Mishra has reviewed over 30 articles and holds an editorial role in a respected journal, further underscoring his expertise and influence in the field. Dr. Mishra is also an active member and ambassador of the American Society of Plant Biologists, where he has presented various seminars, contributing to the broader scientific community. His extensive knowledge and commitment to advancing plant science make him a valuable asset to the field.Dr. Saurabh Pandey, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agriculture at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India. He has eight years of experience in plant biotechnology, such as plant stress biology, plant virus interactions, abiotic stresses, bio-fortification, molecular marker studies, and metabolism related to the tomato and rice crop. He is currently working on introducing and biotic stress management of unconventional crops like banana and apple in the Punjab region, India. He has published about 30 research and review papers in various journals, including Frontiers in Plant Science, Environmental and Experimental Botany, Plant Science, Journal of Plant Growth and Regulation, Advances in Genetics, Physiology, and Molecular Biology of Plants, and Plant Stress. He has also contributed articles of varied interest in many magazines and periodicals. Dr. Pandey has authored many book chapters on molecular marker, genomics, plant breeding, and plant molecular virology, catering to the needs of modern agriculture research. He has been an active member of the Indian Virological Society, the Indian Academy of Horticultural Sciences, and the Society of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology. Dr. Pandey received a gold medal for his MSc degree from UAS, Bangalore. He received the best postgraduate thesis award for his MSc thesis, among other awards for his research work. Dr. Pandey has received NTS, JRF, and SRF during the degree program, awarded by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) India and Department of Biotechnology, India. He did MSc (Agriculture), specializing in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, and was conferred his PhD (Plant Virology) by the National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, India.Dr. Vishal Varshney is a distinguished researcher in Plant molecular biology field. He is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes du CNRS (IBMP-CNRS) in Strasbourg, France, where he began in April 2024. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor of Botany at the Govt. Shaheed Gendsingh College in Charama, Chhattisgarh, from 2022 to 2024. Dr. Varshney earned his Ph.D. from the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) in New Delhi, where he conducted significant research on the molecular and functional characterization of an F-box protein (SKIP31) in Arabidopsis thaliana under the supervision of Dr. Manoj Majee. He completed his M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Botany from Aligarh Muslim University, both with Gold Medal honors. His research primarily focuses on the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and its role in enhancing crop yield by optimizing seed agronomic traits. Dr. Varshney has published extensively in high-impact journals, contributing to the understanding of seed maturation, vigor, and stress responses in plants. Notable publications include research on the Arabidopsis F-box protein SKP1-INTERACTING PARTNER 31, which modulates seed maturation and vigor, published in The Plant Cell. In addition to his research, Dr. Varshney has received several prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Inspiring Science Award (2024) from TNQ Technologies, the Senior and Junior Research Fellowships from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and University Grants Commission (UGC) for his Ph.D. studies, and multiple Gold Medal Awards for his academic excellence. In addition to his research, Dr. Varshney has reviewed over 10 articles and holds an editorial role in a respected journal, further underscoring his expertise and influence in the field. Dr. Varshney is skilled in various technical competencies such as molecular biology, cell biology, protein biochemistry, microscopy, metabolomics, and bioinformatics. His ultimate goal is to contribute to crop improvement by enhancing the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant and seed biology, aspiring to become an independent researcher.Prof. Chittaranjan Kole is an internationally reputed scientist with an illustrious professional career spanning over forty years and original contributions in the fields of plant genomics, biotechnology, and molecular breeding leading to the publication of more than 160 quality research articles. He has edited over 197 books for the leading publishers of the world including Springer Nature, Wiley-Blackwell and Taylor and Francis Group. His scientific contributions and editing acumen have been appreciated by seven Nobel Laureates including Profs. Norman Borlaug, Arthur Kornberg, Werner Arber, Phillip Sharp, Günter Blobel, Lee Hartwell and Roger Kornberg. He has been honored with a number of Fellowships, Honorary Fellowships, and national and international awards including the Outstanding Crop Scientist award conferred by the International Crop Science Society. He was awarded with the Raja Ramanna Fellow by the Department of Energy, Government of India. He has served at all prestigious positions in academia including as Vice-Chancellor of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Project Coordinator of Indo-Russian Center of Biotechnology in India, and Director of Research of Institute of Nutraceutical Research of Clemson University, in USA. He worked also in the Pennsylvania State University and Clemson University as a Visiting Professor. He has been heading the International Climate-Resilient Crop Genomics Consortium, International Phytomedomics and Nutriomics Consortium and Genome India International as their Founder President. He is also the Founder Chairman of Prof. Chittaranjan Kole Foundation for Science and Society.
