Prof. K C Bansal, Former Director, NBPGR (ICAR) is known for his contributions in the area of abiotic stress tolerance ranging from basic physiological mechanisms to crop genomics, transgenic development and for promoting utilization of germplasm for crop improvement.

Dror founded PlantArcBio in 2014, and since then serves as the CEO and Director. 

For many years has served as a leader in the Plant Biotech industry. Extensive professional background and education; for more than 28 years involved in the field of molecular biology and genetic engineering in plants.

Prior to PlantArcBio, Dror was a leading Researcher at Evogene, led R&D projects with global Seed Companies such as Syngenta and Corteva.

Holds a master’s degree in plant Protection and Virology (Volcani Center) and a PhD in Plant Molecular Biology, Genetics and Physiology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During the Post doctorate at UCLA was the first to decipher the MOA of plant blue-light photoreceptors, Cryptochromes (published in Nature, 2002).

Senior Investigator at the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Disease, USA.

Author of more than 12 patents and numerous scientific papers.

‣ Dr. Kutubuddin Molla is a Senior Scientist in Agricultural Biotechnology at the ICAR–Central Rice Research Institute (ICAR-CRRI), Cuttack, India. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Calcutta and completed postdoctoral research at Pennsylvania State University as a Fulbright Fellow. 

‣ Dr. Molla's research focuses on precise genome editing for crop improvement, leveraging CRISPR-Cas systems, base editing, and prime editing technologies. 

‣ His laboratory has pioneered the development of compact TnpB-based genome-editing platforms for plants. His team also developed Plant OpenCRISPR1 (POC1), the world's first AI-designed nuclease-mediated genome-editing system for plants. 

‣ His contributions to genome engineering and rice improvement have been recognized through several prestigious honors, including the INSA Medal for Young Scientist. 

‣ He was recently elected as an INSA Associate Fellow and was selected as a Next Generation Leader by Stanford University to contribute to shaping future guidelines for responsible biotechnology at the Spirit of Asilomar Summit.

I studied Biology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), Germany, from 2003 to 2009. I completed my diploma thesis in the laboratory of Prof. Thomas Lahaye, where I investigated transcription activator-like effector (TALE) homologs from Ralstonia solanacearum. I then pursued my PhD in the laboratory of Prof. Ulla Bonas at MLU (2010–2015), focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying sequence-specific TALE–DNA interactions.

In 2015, I joined the laboratory of Prof. Alain Tissier at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) as a postdoctoral researcher, where I worked on synthetic biology and next-generation genome editing technologies, particularly CRISPR–Cas systems. 

Since December 2021, I have been a Staff Scientist at the IPB, and since April 2026, I have led an independent research group developing innovative genome editing technologies and strategies to manipulate endogenous DNA double-strand break repair pathways for precision genome engineering.

Dr. Leena Tripathi is the Director of Eastern Africa Hub, Director of Genetic Innovation and Biotechnology Program Lead at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), a member of One CGIAR. With more than 26 years of experience plant biotechnology, her focus lies in enhancing staple crops like banana/plantain, cassava, and yam to resist diseases and pests, crucial for global food security. 

She champions a "Science to Practice" approach, ensuring her research translates into practical solutions worldwide. Dr. Tripathi’s scientific achievements have earned her international recognition, including election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the African Academy of Sciences (AAS).

Dr. Tripathi and her team have established a robust genetic transformation platform at IITA- Kenya to develop transgenic and gene-edited products and transfer these technologies to national agricultural research systems in sub-Saharan Africa. She collaborates globally with advanced labs in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia, as well as with national partners in Africa and various regional partners. 

Beyond her role at IITA, Dr. Tripathi contributes to academia as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland, Australia, and plays advisory roles as a member of the external advisory panel of Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development, UK, and advisory board member of Cornell Alliance for Science (AfS). She serves on the editorial boards of several journals such as Plant Biotechnology Journal, Communication Biology, and Frontiers in Genome Editing.

Dr. Tripathi holds a Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology and an M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. She worked at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA before joining IITA. Her multidisciplinary efforts underscore her dedication to advancing agricultural biotechnology, which is crucial for addressing global food security challenges.

Dr. R. C. Bhattacharya is the Director and Principal Scientist at the ICAR–National Institute for Plant Biotechnology (NIPB), New Delhi. He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, and completed his postdoctoral research at Washington State University, USA. His research focuses on plant molecular biology, plant genomics for stress tolerance, and genome editing for crop productivity enhancement.

A Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), Dr. Bhattacharya has received several prestigious honors, including the ICAR Lal Bahadur Shastri Young Scientist Award and the DBT Overseas Associateship Award. He has published over 85 research papers, authored book chapters, and has made significant contributions to agricultural biotechnology research, education, and policy in India.

Dr. Raman Babu is the Global Research Program Director for Accelerated Crop Improvement (ACI) at ICRISAT. With over two decades of experience across ICAR (India), NIAS (Japan) CIMMYT (Mexico), and Corteva Agriscience (APAC), he brings a unique blend of public-sector purpose and industry-scale execution to crop improvement.

Dr. Babu has been at the forefront of integrating modern breeding technologies, including genomics, doubled haploids, predictive breeding, and data-driven decision systems into product-oriented pipelines. His work has contributed to the development of nutritionally enhanced and climate-resilient crop varieties across diverse geographies.

At ICRISAT, he leads efforts to transform crop improvement from fragmented excellence to an integrated impact engine, leveraging next-generation platforms such as Doubled Haploids, AI-enabled prediction, gene editing, and precision phenotyping to accelerate genetic gain in dryland crops.

He is deeply committed to translating science into scalable impact, ensuring that innovations reach farmers and contribute to improved livelihoods, resilience, and nutritional security.

Dr. Ajay Kumar Pandey is a Scientist-F at the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali, Punjab, India. He is a plant molecular biologist with extensive expertise in functional genomics, plant nutrient homeostasis, genome editing, and crop biofortification. His research focuses on improving iron bioavailability in wheat grains through the functional characterization of genes involved in phytic acid biosynthesis, phosphate transport, iron transport, and micronutrient remobilization. 

Dr. Pandey has made significant contributions to understanding iron-deficiency responses, phosphate allocation, inositol pyrophosphate signaling, and transporter-mediated nutrient homeostasis in wheat. His laboratory employs CRISPR-based genome editing, RNA interference, transcriptomics, gene expression profiling, and physiological approaches to develop nutritionally improved wheat germplasm. His work also explores the molecular interplay between iron and phosphate transporters during grain development. He completed his Ph.D. in Biotechnology and Environmental Sciences from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala. 

He subsequently held postdoctoral positions at Academia Sinica, Taiwan; the University of Alabama, Huntsville, USA; and Iowa State University/USDA-ARS, USA, where he worked on plant–microbe interactions, fungal stress biology, and soybean resistance to Asian soybean rust. Dr. Pandey has led and coordinated several externally funded projects supported by the Department of Biotechnology and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. 

He has published extensively in leading journals, including Journal of Experimental Botany, BMC Biology, Frontiers in Plant Science, Scientific Reports, Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, and Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. He has also mentored doctoral students and trainees and actively contributes to institutional research governance, biosafety, and academic activities at NABI. 

Dr. Soham Ray is a Senior Scientist (Agricultural Biotechnology) in the Division of Plant Physiology at ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. His research focuses on plant stress biology and genome editing for the development of climate-resilient crop varieties. His recent work has centred on advancing CRISPR/Cas9 technology, including the development of an enhanced sgRNA scaffold for improving genome editing efficiency. 

He has also developed computational tools for multiplex genome editing, including CRISP-PTG-Assembler Ver. 1.0 and MultiEdit PTG Designer 1.0, to streamline the design and assembly of polycistronic tRNA-gRNA (PTG) constructs. His broader research interests also include gene introgression from wild relatives of crop plants and understanding plant responses to individual and combined environmental stresses.

His contributions have been recognized with the Prof. M. Udayakumar Memorial Young Scientist Award (2023) conferred by the Indian Society for Plant Physiology and the Young Scientist Award (2024) conferred by the Academy of Agricultural Science, Kalyani.

Dr. Gaurav Zinta is currently working as a Principal Scientist in the Biotechnology Division at the CSIR–Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. He also serves as an Assistant Professor at the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), where he teaches courses on plant genomics, epigenomics, and science ethics.

He obtained his M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, H.P. In 2010, he received an international fellowship to pursue his Ph.D. (2010–2014) at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. In 2015, he was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and worked at the Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, a CAS Center of Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences.

Dr. Zinta’s research interests span climate change biology, plant stress physiology, genome editing, epigenetics, and chemical genetics. His long-term research goal is to contribute to global nutrition and food security by developing climate-resilient and nutritionally rich crops. His laboratory focuses on crops cultivated in the high-altitude regions of the Himalaya (e.g., quinoa, amaranth, and potato) while also addressing fundamental research questions using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

To date, Dr. Zinta has published more than 45 peer-reviewed articles and 5 book chapters in leading scientific journals, including Nature Communications, PNAS, Global Change Biology, Journal of Experimental Botany, New Phytologist, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Biotechnology Advances, Trends in Plant Science, Plant, Cell & Environment, and Critical Reviews in Biotechnology. He has participated in numerous international training programs and conferences in Germany, Ireland, Poland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, and other countries.

He serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including Feature Editor for Molecular Plant; Associate Editor for Plant–Environment Interactions (UK), BMC Plant Biology (UK), and CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (UK); and Review Editor for Frontiers in Plant Science and Frontiers in Genetics (Switzerland).

Committed to science outreach, Dr. Zinta was selected as a Plantae Fellow (2019) by the American Society of Plant Biology and as an eLife Ambassador (2019) to promote science communication. He is actively engaged in Jigyasa, a flagship CSIR Program that connects scientists with school students to extend classroom learning through research-based exposure. In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Zinta was awarded the Young Scientist Award (2022) by the Himalayan Phytopathological Society, Himachal Pradesh.

Prof. Sanjib K. Panda is a Professor of Biochemistry and Dean of the School of Life Sciences at the Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, India. He obtained his M.Phil., Ph.D., and D.Sc. degrees from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. His research focuses on plant molecular physiology, functional genomics, and genome engineering to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying abiotic stress responses, nutrient homeostasis, and crop improvement. His laboratory integrates transcriptomics, molecular genetics, and genome editing approaches to develop climate-resilient and nutritionally enhanced crop plants.

Prof. Panda has received several prestigious international fellowships, including the JSPS Fellowship and Invitation Professorship (Japan), BOYSCAST, IUSSTF Fellowship (USA), French Government Fellowship, INSA–DFG Visiting Scientist Fellowship, and UNESCO–TWAS Associateship & has been Visiting Professor in several Universities in Germany, Japan, Hungary , South Africa, Russia etc. 

He has published over 200 research papers, with more than 13100 citations and an H-index of 64, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB), London, in 2017. He currently serves on the editorial boards of several leading international journals and has supervised more than 25 Ph.D. scholars while leading numerous national and international research project collaborations.