Pankaj Kumar?is presently working as Assistant Professor (Biotechnology), Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. With more than nine years of specialized expertise in Medicinal plant biotechnology, Dr. Kumar has significantly contributed to understanding high altitude adaptation of medicinal plants, and secondary metabolite production through advanced cell and tissue engineering techniques. His research delves into the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolite production, utilizing cutting-edge comparative transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches. Additionally, Dr. Kumar has pioneered work in the hydro-aero cultivation of medicinal plants, focusing on their industrial applications. Dr. Kumar's academic credentials are further bolstered by his post-doctoral research at prestigious institutions such as the National Institute of Plant Genome Research and the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology. He is a prolific author with over 70 research and review papers, 30 book chapters, and seven notable books, including “Plant Stress Memory: Methods and Protocols (Springer), "Agricultural Biotechnology- Latest Research and Trends" (Springer) and "Ornamental Horticulture: Latest Cultivation Practices and Breeding" (Springer). His innovative contributions have led to the publishing of five Indian patents, and he has been honored with numerous awards, such as the Young Scientists Fellowship Award-2021 by ICMR and the Scientist's Pool Scheme Award-2020 by CSIR.
Ashish R. Warghat is currently working as Principal Scientist at CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur. He did his Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the Defence Institute of High-Altitude Research (DIHAR), Defence Research and Development Organization, Leh-Ladakh. His research interests are particularly on High Altitude Himalayan Medicinal Plants with the intervention in the field of Aeroponic and Hydroponic farming for metabolite-enriched plant biomass production and understanding of the mechanism of nutrients towards growth and development. He has published more than 45 research papers in high reputed international journals. He has developed 10 most significant technologies in the field of smart agriculture and transferred it to the industries. He has also contributed significantly in the area of start-ups and entrepreneurs’ generation and skill development activities and total of 12 incubatee were benefitted significantly. Currently, he is an associate editor in BMC Biology and BMC Biotechnology Journals.