Field of Study India: Agricultural Sciences (Plant-related)

Charu Sharma

Ms. Charu Sharma is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh, with expertise in plant tissue culture, cryopreservation, and the production of secondary metabolites. Her research focuses on high-altitude medicinal plants, with the primary aim of developing robust conservation protocols. By integrating molecular insights and antioxidant profiling, she investigates changes in cryopreserved tissues to ensure long-term viability.

Charu holds a bachelor’s degree in science from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, and a master’s degree in Botany from Punjabi University, Patiala. During her PhD, she contributed to peer-reviewed publications that integrated methodological precision with conceptual clarity. Her passion for science goes beyond experimentation; she excels at translating complex research findings into visually compelling and academically rigorous outputs. She brings in a thoughtful balance of analytical detail and narrative coherence, reflecting her commitment to conservation-driven research.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Charu is currently advancing a pioneering study on cryopreservation of avocado at The Huntington. The project aims to optimize tropical germplasm conservation through vitrification-based techniques, contributing to broader ecological restoration efforts and sustainable agricultural practices.

Mandavi Pandey

Ms. Mandavi Pandey is a PhD candidate at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research in New Delhi, India. Her research focuses on enhancing low phosphate tolerance among high-yield rice varieties that struggle in phosphate-deficient soils. To accomplish this, she is examining the galactolipid biosynthetic genes. She aims to improve elite rice cultivars by engineering beneficial non-lipid biosynthetic genes that promote low phosphorus tolerance and enhance phosphorus utilization efficiency. To gain deeper insight into the mechanisms involved, she has developed CRISPR/Cas9 knockout lines to study their impact on root development under phosphate starvation conditions.

Mandavi earned her bachelor’s degree in science, majoring in botany with combined studies in zoology and chemistry, from the Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University (BHU). She completed her master’s degree from the Botany Department at BHU.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State University, Mandavi is investigating the nutrient-lipid profiling of the DGDG synthase gene to explore the growth-stress trade-off in rice (Oryza sativa). She employs robust methodologies for chloroplastic ionome analysis and measures radioactive phosphorus acquisition efficiency in Dr. Hatem Rouached’s lab. In addition, she utilizes advanced lipidomic facilities, which significantly support her doctoral research. The results are expected to provide valuable insights into the relationship between photosynthetic development, nutrient balance, and plant growth, potentially paving the way for genetic innovations that enhance soil phosphorus utilization.

Mandavi enjoys painting, singing, and dancing, is passionate about English and Hindi literature and enjoys writing.

Anjitha K. S.

Ms. Anjitha K. S. is a PhD candidate in the Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Division at the Department of Botany, University of Calicut, Kerala under the guidance of Prof. Jos T. Puthur. Her doctoral research focuses on cell wall remodeling under arsenic stress and associated functional biology in rice. By employing a multidisciplinary approach that integrates plant physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology, her work will delve into the cellular and molecular responses of rice plants to arsenic stress, with an emphasis on cell wall remodeling. The cell wall serves as a critical barrier against arsenic uptake, and understanding its dynamic alterations under stress conditions is crucial for developing strategies to enhance arsenic tolerance.

Anjitha holds a bachelor’s degree in botany from St. Joseph’s College, Devagiri, Kerala and a master’s degree in applied plant science from the University of Calicut, Kerala. She has qualified in various competitive exams and has published several research articles in reputed international journals, reflecting her interest in plant stress biology.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Anjitha is exploring the key mechanisms and pathways that govern arsenic stress-induced plant responses in collaboration with Prof. Om Parkash Dhankher’s lab. The ultimate goal of this study is to apply this knowledge to develop arsenic-stress resistant rice cultivars, which will help secure food production and safety in arsenic-affected regions. Anjitha is also passionate about teaching and mentoring. In her free time, she enjoys reading, gardening and travelling.

Simardeep Kaur

Ms. Simardeep Kaur is a doctoral candidate in the Division of Biochemistry, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Her doctoral thesis focuses on deciphering the microRNA related modulations in contrasting rice genotypes under drought stress. Global climate change and associated adverse effects such as drought greatly influence plant growth and development thus, affecting crop yield, quality and agricultural sustainability as well.

As a Fulbright-Nehru fellow she will be working with bioinformatics experts to further improve her understanding of bioinformatic tools and software for comprehensive analysis of the data generated from the molecular biology related work (mainly drought related) from wet-lab experiments. She will learn to handle large data sets like those for transcriptome, lncRNAs, miRNAs, validation techniques and their analysis so that she can integrate molecular biology with bioinformatics to develop drought tolerant agricultural crops. Therefore, work carried out during the Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowship will substantiate and help speed the progression of ongoing research projects towards developing a climate-smart cultivar for sustainable food production in the near future.

She went to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana for her graduation in Biochemistry in 2017 and then attended the graduate school at PAU for her M.Sc. in Biochemistry in 2019. She worked on the Biochemical basis of leaf blight resistance in barley and published her results in a reputed journal. During her master’s, she received a gold medal for excellence in chemistry/biochemistry, a PAU merit Fellowship, the Pyara Singh Parmar award, and also represented PAU at the Indian Students Parliament held in Pune, Maharashtra. She is a recipient of the JRF and SRF from the CSIR in her Ph.D. and also cleared other national level examinations like GATE (Life Sciences), ICAR-NET, ARS-prelims, JNUEE etc.

When she is not working in her lab, Simardeep spends most of her time reading novels, cooking food for family, and exploring new places. A travel enthusiast and hodophile, she feeds her addiction by visiting as many places with her favourite Agronomist as she can.