Birth & Educations: He was born on 25 September 1990 in the small town of Nohar, District Hanumangarh, Rajasthan and completed his primary education at Shri Nehru Bal Vatika Senior Secondary School, Nohar. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture in 2011 from Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad, securing First Division with 83.40% marks. He subsequently obtained his Master’s degree in Plant Pathology in 2013 from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, where he achieved First Division with 90.40% marks. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 2017 by the ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, with First Division and an overall score of 82.30%.

Positions hold: He is currently serving as a Scientist (Senior Scale) at the ICAR–Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur. Earlier, he served as a Scientist at the ICAR–National Soybean Research Institute (NSRI), Indore, from 2017 to 2022.

Awards/Honours: He has received several prestigious awards and fellowships in recognition of his academic excellence and research contributions. He was awarded the ICAR National Talent Scholarship by ICAR during his undergraduate studies (2007–2011) and the Merit Fellowship from the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad, during his master’s programme (2011–2013). He was also a recipient of the ICAR–Senior Research Fellowship for his doctoral research from 2014 to 2017. In recognition of his outstanding academic performance at UAS, Dharwad, he was conferred the UASD Gold Medal, Dr. R.K. Hegde Memorial Gold Medal, and Dr. Srikant Kulkarni Gold Medal in 2014. Further, he received the Best Oral Presentation Award from the Indian Phytopathological Society in 2022 for his paper on the development of a machine learning laser biospeckle method for early identification of seed infection of soybean anthracnose, presented at the 8th International Conference on Plant Pathology: Retrospect and Prospects held at SKNAU, Jobner, Jaipur, Rajasthan. He was also honoured with the Best Oral Presentation Award by the Indian Society of Oilseeds Research in 2023 for his presentation on the influence of crop establishment methods and residue management practices on productivity and economics of soybean-based cropping systems, presented during the International Conference on Vegetable Oils (ICVO 2023) held at Hyderabad.

Research Areas: He has contributed extensively to research projects focused on soybean improvement and disease management. His work includes the characterization of fungal and bacterial endophytes associated with management of major soybean diseases. He has screened a wide range of soybean germplasm, including diverse accessions, advanced breeding lines, drought- and waterlogging-tolerant lines, and commercial cultivars, to identify sources of resistance against anthracnose, charcoal rot, Rhizoctonia aerial blight, and collar rot under both field conditions and artificial inoculation. He also has experience in residue management studies and socio-economic impact assessments related to soybean production systems. In addition, he has applied laser biospeckle techniques for the detection of soybean pathogens and for assessing drought stress. His research experience further extends to disease management in pomegranate and guar using chemical and biological control agents. He has also been involved in screening multiple genotypes of cluster bean, cumin, and isabgol against important plant pathogens. Collectively, he has collaboratively contributed to the development of five soybean varieties, which were released through the Central Variety Release Committee (CVRC), India, and the respective State Governments.