Birth & Educations: Born in Kharak Pandwa, Kaithal (Haryana), India on 10 June 1967. Educated at Govt. Primary School, Kharak Pandwa, 1973-78; Govt. High School, Kalayat, 1978-83; College of Agriculture, Kaul (CCS HAU), 1983-88; Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Nauni, Solan, 1988-91; CCS HAU Hisar, 1997-99; B.Sc. 1988; M.Sc. 1991; Ph.D. 1999.

Positions hold: Research Associate, 1991-93 (CCS HAU, Hisar), Agriculture Research Officer, Plant Pathology, Govt. of Rajasthan, 1993-95, Scientist, 1995-1999, IGFRI, Jhansi, Scientist Sr. Scale 1999-2002; Sr. Scientist 2002-2009; Principal Scientist, 2009-16, ICAR-IIWBR, Karnal; Principal Scientist, Division of Plant Pathology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.

Awards/Honours: NAAS Fellowship, The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative Gene Stewardship Award, 2018; Dr. K. C. Mehta and ManoranjanMitra Award, 2019; Sh. V. P. Gokhale Award of Maharashtra Association for Cultivation of Sciences, Agharkar Research Institute (DST), Pune, 2019; Associate, NAAS, 2008; Young Scientist Award, NAAS, 2001-02; Dr H. C. Dube Outstanding Young Scientist Award, Indian Society of Mycology & Plant Pathology, Udaipur, 2009; Miss ManjuUtreja Memorial Gold Medal for Best Doctoral thesis &Dr V D Kashyap Gold Medal for Best PhD Research Worker, CCS HAU, Hisar, 2001; Best Research Team Award, IIWBR, Karnal, 2007; Certificate of Recognition for outstanding contribution in Wheat Pathology, IIWBR, Karnal, 2014; Expert nominated by ICAR and CIMMYT for Regional Consultation Meetings in Nepal and Bangladesh to respond wheat blast epidemic in 2016, 2017; Expert Plant Pathology, Wheat Initiative, 2015; Zonal President, Northern Zone, Indian Phytopathological Society, New Delhi, 2016; Senior Editor, Indian Phytopathology, 2020 to date; Editor, Indian Phytopathology, 2017-20; Editor, Journal of Wheat Research, 2016-2019; MYCO-GLOBE Scientific Committee selected for International Workshop on Detection techniques for mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi in food chain, 2006, Italy; Visiting Scientist, ETH, Zurich, 2002; Univ. of Zurich, 2007; Co-ordinator of IIWBR-CIMMYT International Training Course on Karnal Bunt organized for Afghanistan researchers at IIWBR, Karnal, 2016; Delivered oral talks in Malaysia, 2011; Turkey, 2011, 2016; Australia, 2015. Published 130 research papers.

Fellow: NAAS, New Delhi; Indian Phytopathological Society, New Delhi; Society for Advancement of Wheat & Barley Research, Karnal

Research Areas: Fungal Pathology, Host Resistance, Molecular Plant Pathology