Born in New Delhi, India on 13 August 1958. Educated at SBM Higher Secondary School, Delhi, 1971-75; B.Sc. (Agriculture & Animal Husbandry) Honours, 1980 and M.Sc. Agriculture (Plant Breedin & Genetics) 1982, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar; Ph.D., Indian Agricultural Research Instiute, New Delhi 1987; Post Doctoral, University of California, San Diego, USA, 1990.
Advisor/Mentor/Director (Industries-Academia) 2008 till date; Founder Chairman, FloraFauna Science Foundation, Lucknow, 2015 to date; Distinguished Professor, Bioengineering & Food Technology, Shoolini University, Solan since July 2020. [Former Director CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow 2001-08] ; Founder & Mentor SKiES India Innovation Incubator (since 2011) & Food Innovations Venture (since July 2021)
Career: Scientist, 1986-91 and Scientist (Senior Scale), National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, IARI, New Delhi, 1991-96; Visiting Fellow, USDA, Beltsville (ARS), Maryland, USA, 1995; Scientist E-II and Head Genetic Resources and Biotechnology Division, CIMAP, 1996-2001; Director, CIMAP, Lucknow, 2001-08; Chief Scientific Advisor (bioAgriculture & bioNutrition), Avesthagen Limited, Bangalore 2008; Chief Executive Officer & Director Mayar Biotech SEZ, Sohna, NCR, 2009-10; Chief Mentor & Director, Nutrahelix Biotech, Delhi/Mumbai 2010-12 and NutriPlanet Foods, Bangalore 2017-20; Advisor, Board of Agro-Incubator a-IDEA at ICAR-NAARM (National Academy of Agriculture Research Management), Hyderabad since July 2018; Expert Member, Global Executive Advisory Board of Expert Nutraceutical Advocacy Council (ENAC) since April 2019; Founder Editor of scientific popular magazine FloraSarthi since its inception in August 2019; Chief Mentor, Institute of Industrial Development, IID, an entrepreneurship incubator working under PPP mode with Ministry of MSME New Delhi (2020-21); Honorary Member, Advisory Board of the IJBST Journal Group since July 2020; Distinguished Professor, Bioengineering & Food Technology, Shoolini University, Solan since July 2020; Member Advisory Board Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar UniversityBBAU (Central University), Lucknow since October 2020; Chairman Research Advisory Committee (RAC), ICAR-DMAPR (Directorate of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Research), Boriavi, Anand, Gujarat since December 2020; Member Research Advisory Committee (RAC), ICAR-IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi) since July 2021.
Awards/Honors: CSIR Technology Award for Life Sciences 2012 for R&D Facilitating Industrial Growth, Societal Health and Rural Prosperity, New Delhi, September 2012, CSIR Award for Innovations in Rural Development (CAIRD 2008) for implementation of Agro-entrepreneurship through Biovillage concept in India as team leader, CIMAP; VASVIK Award in Biosciences & Technology for Research in Biotechnology leading to Industrial and Agricultural Applications, Mumbai, August 2008, Upbhoktashri 2008 Award for Applied Research meeting Client/Consumer expectations by Bharat Jyoti (Consumer's Forum Association), Lucknow, August 2008; Golden Peacock Eco-Innovation Award 2008 for Ecofriendly and Organic Technologies and Research as Team leader, CIMAP May 2008; Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award-2007 by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur for novel anti-malarial drug variety of plant Artemisia annua with complete technology package to improve health, while enhancing rural income through value chain development; Best Invention Prize by All India Industrial Exhibition Society, Hyderabad for R & D innovations enabling linkage between farm and pharma sectors - CIMAP's innovative approach for implementation of device, February, 2007; FICCI Award 2004-05 for Rural Development for Excellent work in rural employment and income enhancement through innovative R&D; Prof SK Mukerjee Commemoration Lecture (Young Scientist Award) for the year 2005-2006 in the Section of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Indian Science Congress, Hyderabad, January, 2006; Platinum Jubilee Lecture Award 2005, Indian Science Congress, Ahmedabad, January 2005; EOAI-SOM Award 2003-2005 for "Development and dissemination of a new variety of Mentha arvensis known as KOSI; Patent Appreciation Award for US Patent No.6,423,741 on "Antimicrobial composition and the method for producing the same" from Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA), Mumbai, 2004; All India Biotech Association (AIBA) Award for Agricultural Biotechnology (2000), CSIR Technology Prize for Biological Sciences-1999; Best Teacher Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and Guiding Post Graduate Students at IARI, New Delhi, 1995.
Fellow/Distinguished Member: National Academy of Agricultural Science (NAAS), National Academy of Sciences, India; Indian Society of Agricultural Biochemists; Plant Tissue Culture Association of India; Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Society of India (President, 2006-2013).
Research Areas: Molecular and General Genetics, Biotechnology, Plant Genetics and Breeding, Plant Metabolomics; Technology Sectors: Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Natural Products, Botanicals, Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, Secondary Agriculture, Agribusiness.
Professional Milestones: Research Publications: >200; Patents: 82; Books: 7; Book/Monographs Chapters: 31; Practical Manuals/SOPs: 14; Reviews/Editorials: 53; Farm/Technical Bulletins: 28; Chief Editor Journal (1), Magazines (3); Invited Keynote Lectures >165, Editorial Boards: 10; Varieties: 38; Processes/Technologies: 50; MSME Products: 12; Technical Reports: 7; Industries Mentored: 7; Societies/Organisations Advisory: >10; Mission Steered: 7; Students Guided: PhD (16), MSc (37)
Missions Steered (Past & Current):
Lahar (for Farmers), Tarang (Enabling Students), Sakshma (EnablingWomen Entrepreneurship),
Manav (Reaching the unreached part of society), Biovillages (Rural Empowerment),
NutraSKY (for Nutraceuticals industry aiming foods for health), eVillage Enabled Entrepreneurial Villages
(FloraFauna Science Foundation for Secondary Agriculture & Entrepreneurship),
Umang (Soft Skills Mentoring Students/Scholars/Teachers/Scientists) SKiES: Mentor & Guide Platform
