Ms. Pooja Shukla is a PhD candidate at The Millet Lab, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, where her research centers on the genomics of a C4 model crop, foxtail millet (Setaria italica). Having been closely involved in the cultivation and phenotypic assessment of its germplasm, she aims to systematically explore and utilize the crop’s phenotypic and genetic diversity towards the identification and characterization of the genetic determinants underlying yield-contributing agronomic and nutritional traits.
Pooja holds a bachelor’s degree in life sciences from Kasturba Gandhi Degree and PG College for Women, Secunderabad, and a master’s degree in botany from University College of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad. In addition to awards and honors, her academic contributions include multiple peer-reviewed research and review publications, and book chapters.
As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Pooja is advancing her research on genomic dissection of complex agronomic traits in foxtail millet through the application of advanced computational frameworks, multi-locus GWAS-models, quantitative genetics and comparative genomics. Her work is expected to generate high-resolution genetic, genomic, and phenomic resources in foxtail millet, accelerating gene discovery and trait mapping. She is also a certified Yoga trainer, and integrates its principles into her academic and professional practices.