Dr. Radhakrishnan E.K is currently working as an associate professor at School of Biosciences of Mahatma Gandhi University, India; an Honorary Director of Business Innovation and Incubation Centre (BIIC), and also as a Joint Director of Inter University Centre for Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture (IUCOFSA). He completed his doctoral degree from Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, and post-doctoral studies from The University of Tokyo, Japan. During his 13+ years of research, he has published over 156 research publications, 55 book chapters and 3 review papers. He has the credit of 4 filed patents and 2 technology transfers. His team successfully launched an agriproduct in the market under the brand name “Nanopower” in 2022 in collaboration with ABTEC Pvt. Ltd., Kottayam. His research areas include plant microbe interactions, microbial natural products, microbial synthesis of metal nanoparticles, antimicrobial resistance gene prediction and development of polymer based nanocomposites with antimicrobial effects for food packaging and medical applications. Dr. Ajay Kumar is currently working as a visiting scientist in the Agriculture Research Organization, Volcani Center, Israel. He completed his doctoral research from Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University. In his research tenures, Dr. Kumar has published more than 175 scientific contributions in the form of research and review articles, books or book chapters with the leading international publishers. He has a wide area of research experience, especially in the field of plant-microbe interactions, microbial biocontrol, post-harvest management, endophytes related with the medicinal plants and cyanobacteria-pesticides interactions. Dr. K.B. Soni is currently working as a professor at Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of College of Agriculture, India. She has completed her PhD in biochemistry from Amala Cancer Research Centre, Thrissur Mahatma Gandhi University, India and postdoctoral studies from Centre for Genetic Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Her achievements include the award of Dr. K.S. Krishnan award from Dept of Atomic Energy, BARC, Bombay. She has published several articles, review articles and book chapters. Her area of research includes biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, development of siRNA mediated virus resistance in banana and the metagenomic studies for novel enzymesDr. Aswani R is currently working as Chief Minister’s NavaKerala Post-Doctoral Fellow at Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University, india. She completed her PhD in microbiology at School of Biosciences of Mahatma Gandhi University, India. After her MSc in microbiology, she has completed MPhil in biosciences and has authored several publications, review articles and book chapters. Her area of research is biocontrol mechanisms and induction of plant defense response by plant associated microorganisms and the development of biopolymers from phytomicrobiome.Dr. Abderrachid Hamrani is currently as an assistant professor at the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) at Florida International University (FIU), USA. His interdisciplinary research bridges the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, mechanical engineering and environmental and agricultural sciences. He has previously served as a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University in Canada. Dr. Hamrani completed his PhD in mechanical engineering from Ecole National d’Arts et Métiers ParisTech (ENSAM Paris) in France. Dr. Hamrani's current research is dedicated to the application of AI and IoT in smart and sustainable agriculture. His work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals (more than 50 research articles) and presented at international conferences. His expertise in computational engineering and advanced materials complements his research in environmental applications, making his work highly relevant to the advancement of smart and sustainable agricultural practices.Dr. Krishnaswamy Jayachandran is a professor of environmental microbiology at the Department of Earth and Environment. Using microbiology as a central tool, he is specialized in nutrient cycling and soil health, microbial diversity and activity, isolation and characterization of pesticide degrading microorganisms, biocontrol of invasive plant species, marine and freshwater toxins and microbial degradation, and soil-plant-microbial interactions. He has more than 300 publications, including referred articles, research reports, book chapters, conference publications, and over 50 invited lectures. Dr. Jayachandran co-founded the ongoing FIU Agroecology Program, which he built with the support of USDA grants towards research, education, student training, and outreach activities.
