Dr. Chauhan is heading Centre for Aromatic Plants (CAP), Selaqui, Dehradun as a director since April 2017 earlier he was scientist-in-Charge in the same institution. He had worked as Assistant Director in Flavour and Fragrance Development Centre (FFDC), Kannauj (UP) from 1999 to 2002, Agriculture Research Officer in Pharmaceutical & Herbs Development Institute, Ranikhet from 1995 to 1999 and did research work in Central Institute for Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Lucknow from 1989 to 1995. A total number of 10 projects funded by different funding agencies have been successfully executed under his guidance. Besides that, he is an author of 65 research papers, all of them published in international reputed journals, Technical Bulletins on aromatic crops. He is also an author of a book titled “Essential Oils, Extracts & Absolutes”. He has been honored as “Scientist of the Year” award by Essential Oil Association of India for the year 2010, for his outstanding contribution in development and propagation of aromatic Sector in Uttarakhand. Besides the above, he has published 43 research papers in reputed journals.

Mr. Chinthaka Widanapathirana represents the National Cinnamon Research and Training Centre of the Department of Cinnamon Development, Sri Lanka. He obtained his Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Agricultural Technology and Management, with specialization in Economic and Applied Entomology, from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, in 2010.
He then served as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Biology at the same university and subsequently completed the Master of Science degree in Plant Protection Technology, with special reference to Entomology, in 2013 at the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), University of Peradeniya.
He has gained international professional experience by working as a researcher and consultant in pest management in the Republic of Seychelles and the Maldives, while engaging with private and semi-government institutions in Sri Lanka.
In 2014, he was appointed as the Assistant Director in the Entomology Research Division of the Central Research Station of the Department of Export Agriculture, Sri Lanka. In this role, he contributed to research programmes covering sixteen spice crops cultivated in Sri Lanka.
In 2019, he commenced his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Entomology at the University of the Philippines under a Sri Lankan Government scholarship programme.
In 2021, he was transferred to the National Cinnamon Research and Training Centre under the same department, where he served as the Deputy Director in Plant Protection Research. Up to 2025, he has held several positions within the Centre, including Head of the Training Division and Deputy Director-in-Charge.
Since 2024, he is attached to the Department of Cinnamon Development and currently serves as the Deputy Director (Research), overseeing Plant Protection and Training divisions.
Mr. Widanapathirana has authored more than 30 national and international publications. His primary area of expertise is insect taxonomy, and he has published internationally recognized research on the identification of thrips species associated with cinnamon and pepper.
In addition to his specialization in entomology, he possesses extensive practical knowledge and experience in the true cinnamon industry in Sri Lanka.

Muditha Jayatilaka brings extensive engineering expertise to his family tradition in the cinnamon industry, where he has introduced revolutionary processing techniques to improve and apply international best practices in quality and standards. His work also focuses on acquiring intellectual property rights for commercial purposes while ensuring wider community participation and benefits across the cinnamon sector.

Through investments in research, development, and technology acquisition, he has introduced several unique cinnamon products to the industry. His contributions have supported the advancement of quality-driven practices aligned with global standards, including those recognized by the World Health Organization.

He holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Medical Electronics from St. Bartholomews Hospital Medical College, University of London, U.K. He is also a Corporate Member of the Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management, U.K., and holds I.Eng (U.K.) and MIHEEM (U.K.) qualifications.

Dr. Ajit Arun Waman holds B.Sc. (Hort.) from Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli and completed his M.Sc. (Hort.- Plantation, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and Spice Crops) and Ph.D. (Hort.) from University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru. He joined as an ARS Scientist at ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Sri Vijaya Puram in 2014 and since then he has been involved in the research and development activities in perennial horticultural species, mainly spices. 

He has identified superior germplasm of cinnamon, including those with low content of coumarin, superior yield, better quality characters and ease of peeling. He reported Piper pendulispicum as a new species for India, and registered an accession with ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi. He developed country’s first improved variety of Tejpat and co-developed two varieties of Malabar Tamarind. He has worked extensively on Piper, Cinnamomum and Myristica and identified Woody Pepper as a novel crop. He has developed plantation crops based models cropping system apart from developing agro-ecotourism models for the humid tropics. He has been granted three Industrial Designs and a Copyright, while two of his technologies have been commercialized including Dweep CinnRub- the cinnamon bark rubbing tool. He served as member of several national teams constituted on aspects related to horticulture. He is providing technical guidance as a member of the Technical Support Group for state-wide SPICE PRAVAH initiative of Andaman and Nicobar Administration. 

For his contributions in the sector, he has received several accolades including Fellowship of the Andaman Science Association- 2025 (ASA, Sri Vijaya Puram); Associate Fellowship of the Society for Promotion of Horticulture-2025 (SPH, Bengaluru), Invited Panelist in the Indian Horticulture Congress-2025 (UAS, Bengaluru), Invited Panelist in the Workshop on Cinnamon organized by DASD, Kozhikode, Kerala, Young Scientist Award 2021 (GKV Society, Uttar Pradesh), Invited Speaker in International Conference organized by American Chemical Society and Texas A&M University, USA (2021), Society for Plant Biochemistry & Biotechnology-Springer Young Investigator Award-2020 (SPBB, New Delhi), etc. He has published more than 85 peer reviewed articles, five books, 16 short videos and serving as editor of four prestigious journals.

Dr. V. Sundaresan has contributed extensively on Plant Taxonomy and Conservation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants. He has documented around 3500 wild flora of Western Ghats. He has studied the adulteration issues and health risks associated with Coumarin content and the Molecular authentication of Cinnamomum species in India. His biodiversity characterization work on plant genetic resources yielded ten new agriculture cultivars, and two herbal products. Taxonomic identity of Ocimum spp. and phylogeny of Eugenia spp., were resolved using classical and molecular systematic approaches. He has studied the population analysis, distribution mapping and genetic diversity of RET taxa. Molecular authentication has been carried out using DNA Barcodes for the species in the genera Senna, Tulsi Decalepis, Alpinia, Agave, and Terminalia in demarcation of traded adulterants.

Scientist in Spices Board with Ph.D. in Chemistry.
Total 16 years of experience in the Spices Sector.
Published 20 research papers in National & International Journals.
Closely associated with standard setting activities under CODEX, ISO, etc.
Works in close association with Spices Exporters, Traders and Farmers.
At present is the Officer Incharge of the Spices Board Regional Office and Quality Evaluation Laboratory in Delhi.

Dr. Arvind Kumar is a Scientist working in research area of separation science, essential oil, natural product chemistry, analytical chemistry in Chemical Sciences Division of Centre for Aromatic Plants (Govt. of Uttarakhand), Selaqui, Dehradun with wide international research exposure. His research focus to developing the best chromatographic and analytical methods for novel biomolecules isolation from the plant matrixand characterized the metabolites by high-resolution spectrometry techniques. Dr. Arvind obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from H.N.B. Garhwal Central University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand and previously worked with Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. He is also a recipient of the Visiting Scientist and Postdoctoral research fellowships from Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry Centre, CROM-MASS, CENIVAM, Industrial University of Santander, Colombia. He has more than 16-years experience of academia and research, he has authored of several peer-reviewed research publications in reputed international journals and confirmed the patents related to Novel extraction technique of Timur extraction and creation of Timru de Uttarakhand perfume. Dr. Arvind current research is focused on quality analysis of aromatic products as per international standards and also developing methodology as waste to wealth recovery approach for utilization of residual biomass and enrich the bioactive fractions for nutraceutical formulation in area of aromatic plant research.

Cultivator of Cinnamon & Expertise in Marketing of Cinnamon in Kerala Market, MBA Postgraduate with more than 5 years of Corporate Experience in Marketing, Training & Sales .

Nithin is an emerging Cinnamon cultivator and entrepreneur dedicated to reviving the cultivation and marketing of True Cinnamon. After completing his MBA and gaining corporate professional experience in the Marketing & Sales field, he has focused his attention to agriculture, choosing to work with Cinnamon despite the crop being considered economically risky. Motivated by growing concerns about the health risks associated with Cassia (deemed as carcinogenic and hepatotoxic) the commonly sold substitute, Nithin committed himself to promoting true Cinnamon known for its gentle aroma, brittle bark, sweetness, and various health benefits.

To ensure quality and credibility, samples from his plantation were tested at the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram, which confirmed that his produce was free from harmful content, like coumarin and rich in medicinal properties. This validation encouraged him to take true Cinnamon directly to home kitchens and conscious consumers.

From grandfather to father, Kunhiraman, and now to Nithin—the art of cinnamon cultivation stays in the family. On his eight-acre plantation, Nithin cultivates nearly 5,000 cinnamon trees, combining both mature and newly planted varieties. He follows careful harvesting methods, peeling the bark from four-to-five-year-old stalks and shade-drying it to preserve its natural aroma. The farm also harvests cinnamon buds, which are sought after by food processing industries. Through patient cultivation, sustainable practices,consumer education, & new generation marketing techniques, Nithin is contributing to the renewed demand for authentic cinnamon in Kerala and beyond.

Dr. Lalit Agrawal is a researcher in Genetics and plant breeding and Agriculture Biotechnology with extensive international research experience from India, and the United States. Dr. Lalit obtained his MSc degree in Genetics and Plant Breeding from GB Pant university of Agriculture and technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, He received his Ph.D. in Agriculture Biotechnology from National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR, JNU Campus), New Delhi. He also worked in CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow as scientist fellow. His research expertise includes Plant Tissue Culture, Genetic Engineering, Proteomics, molecular biology and crop improvement and published nearly 40 peer-reviewed research publications in reputed international journals. His scientific contributions mainly explore crop improvement through conventional, molecular breeding and genetic engineering. He is currently working as Scientist in the Centre for Aromatic Plants, on the crop improvement, development of new verities of aromatic species. His work is mainly focused on variety release programs in lemongrass, cinnamon, damask rose suitable for Uttarakhand climatic condition and also production of quality planting material for farmers in hitech nursery.

Dr. Anil Kumar Chauhan is a researcher in biotechnology and molecular biosciences with extensive international research experience spanning India, South Korea, and the United States. He is currently serving as Project Scientist-I at the Centre for Aromatic Plants, where
his work focuses on the development of therapeutic and nutraceutical formulations from aromatic and medicinal plants for obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disorders. Dr. Chauhan obtained his Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Daegu University and has previously worked at renowned institutions including The Ohio State University (School of Medicine), University of Illinois Chicago (School of Medicine), Konkuk University (Biosciences & Bioengineering), and Keimyung University (School of Medicine). His research expertise includes microbiology, immunology, molecular biology, cancer biology, metabolic diseases, and animal disease modeling. He has authored several peer-reviewed research publications in reputed international journals and holds patents related to anti-obesity formulations and bioactivity of essential oils. His scientific contributions mainly explore natural products, inflammation, oxidative stress, cancer therapeutics, sepsis, and metabolic disease interventions. Dr. Chauhan has also presented his research at several international conferences and symposia across Europe, the United States, and South Korea.

Dr. Rameshkumar K. B. is a Principal Scientist and Head of the Phytochemistry and Phytopharmacology Division at the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. With over 27 years of experience in phytochemistry research, his work focuses on the extraction, isolation, and characterization of plant secondary metabolites, essential oils, and medicinal plant products.

He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Kerala and has successfully led several research projects funded by DBT, DST, and KSCSTE. Dr. Rameshkumar has guided Ph.D. scholars and numerous postgraduate research projects while actively contributing to herbal technology and natural product research.

He has published extensively in reputed journals, received several prestigious awards including the Kerala Academy of Sciences Fellowship, and represented India at various international conferences and collaborations across Asia and Europe. His contributions continue to strengthen research in phytochemistry and medicinal plants.

Mohammad Javed Ansari is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany at Hindu College, Moradabad affiliated to Guru Jambheshwar University Moradabad. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Biotechnology with a specialization in Plant Molecular Biology from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. Prior to joining Hindu College Moradabad, he served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Protection at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His research interests include Plant Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Biofilms, and Antimicrobials. He has a strong academic background with various academic awards. He published more than 400 research Publications in well known reputed journals and secured rank in top 2 percent scientist list published by Stanford University USA. He is the author of several  books and member of the editorial board of several reputed international journals.