Birth & Educations: Ph.D (Plant Pathology): Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India-1999; M.Sc. (Ag.) (Plant Pathology): Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, India-1996; B.Sc. (Ag.): Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India –1992

Positions hold: Serving as Principal Scientist at ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India, since 01 April 2014 to the present. Prior to this, I worked as Senior Scientist at ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, from 27 December 2013 to 31 March 2014. From 01 April 2011 to 26 December 2013, I served as Scientist-E II/Associate Professor (Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, AcSIR) at CSIR–Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India. Earlier, I held the position of Scientist-E1/Senior Scientist (Plant Pathology) at CSIR–Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, from 01 April 2007 to 31 March 2011. I also worked as Scientist-C (Plant Pathology)/Scientist (Senior Scale) at the same institute from 01 April 2002 to 31 March 2007. Before joining CSIR-IHBT, I served as Research Associate at the Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut, Kerala, India, from 05 January 2001 to 16 March 2002. I began my professional career as a Senior Research Fellow at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, from 02 July 1999 to 03 January 2001.

Awards/Honours: Fellow of Indian Society of Plant Pathologists (FINSOPP)-2025; Fellow of the Society for Biocontrol Advancement (FSBA)-2014; Society of Plant Protection Sciences Fellow (SPPSF)-2013; Fellow of the Indian Phytopathological Society (FIPS)-2012

Research Areas: Genomic and Molecular Insights into Plant–Microbe Interactions with Applications in Signal Transduction, Disease Diagnosis, Resistance, and Bio management