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Ph.D. Genetics & Plant Breeding

Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology: Akal School of Biotechnology was established in 2011 with M.Sc. Biotechnology. Since then, it has witnessed tremendous developmental activities, such as starting of Ph.D. Biotechnology, establishment of five state of the art laboratories equipped with sophisticated modern instruments costing more than Rs. 3 crores purchased by financial support of The Kalgidhar Trust and Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, and development of experimental farms as well as green house facility to facilitate agricultural biotechnology research activities. In this short span of establishment, Akal School of Biotechnology (Now, Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology) has offered four courses i.e. M.Sc. Biotechnology; M.Sc. Ag. Genetics and Plant Breeding; Ph.D. in Biotechnology and Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding. The department got 8 externally funded projects worth Rs. 3 crores by DBT, Govt. of India, DST and HIMCOSTE for research activities on micronutrient bio-fortification, enhancing micronutrient bioavailability and improving drought tolerance, better bread making quality of wheat cultivars, nanotechnology and biofertilizers for future sustainability.
The department faculty has published more than 1000 research, review and extension articles in various disciplines. To give more emphasis on research, institutional fellowships (Rs. 8000/- per month, presently Rs 5000/- per month) are being provided to Ph.D. scholars of the department. The faculty members are actively engaged in research activities and 6 more research projects submitted to various funding agencies for external support are under consideration. Presenting its research leads, Department organized a National Symposium on Role of Biotechnology in Crop Improvement in July, 2014. Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology has three research laboratories viz. Biotechnology, Genetics and Plant Breeding and Central Laboratory. The major equipments (costing more than 5 lakhs) available in these laboratories includes, Thermal Cycler, Refrigerated Centrifuges, Gel-documentation system, water purification system, Deep Freezer (-80°C), HPLC system, Freeze Dryers, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, Microwave Digestion System, Biosafety cabinet, Horizontal and Vertical Gel Electrophoresis units and UV-Vis Spectrophotometer

Eligibility Criteria For Admission

M.Sc. Genetics and Plant Breeding/M.Sc. Ag. Genetics and Plant Breeding with minimum 55% marks from a recognized university and 50% marks in EU Entrance test.

Number of Available seats : 02

Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav

HoD and Assistant Professor (SS)
Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology,
Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture,
Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh
Email: hod.biotechnology@eternaluniversity.edu.in; ajarbiotech@gmail.com
Contact: 9882545085

Profile Overview

Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav, Associate Professor & Head, Department Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, at Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India. He is Deputy Director, RDC; Deputy Director, IQAC; Dean PGS (Officiating) and Assistant Controller of Examinations at Eternal University, Baru Sahib. He has 10 years of teaching and 15 years of research experience in microbial biotechnology, microbial diversity, and plant-microbe interactions. He obtained his doctorate degree in Science (Microbial Biotechnology) from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi & Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi. He has 411 publications with h-index 98, i10-index 360, and 28,860 citations (Google Scholar –on 05/05/2025).

Achievements & Recognitions

  • Editor of 38 books (Springer, Elsevier, Wiley, Taylor and Francis)
  • Published 133 research communications
  • One granted patent: "Insecticidal formulation of novel strain of Bacillus thuringiensis AK 47"
  • Listed in World’s Top 2% Scientists (Stanford University) 2024, 2023 & 2022
  • Ranked 1st in World (ScholarGPS) 2024
  • Ranked 1st in India - Agriculture (AD Scientific Index) 2024
  • Ranked 1st in India - Microbiology (Among Private Universities) World’s Top 2% Scientists 2024
  • University Best Scientist (1st Rank) 2020-2025 by AD Scientific Index
  • Young Scientist Award (NASI Swarna Jayanti Puraskar)

Research & Projects

Dr. Yadav is handling two projects—one funded by Department of Environments, Science & Technology (DEST), Shimla and one by HP Council for Science, Technology & Environment (HIMCOSTE). He has guided 4 Ph.D. and 03 M.Sc. scholars and is currently guiding 02 Ph.D. scholars. His contributions include screening archaea for phosphorus solubilization for the first time and developing niche-specific microbes as bio-inoculants for crops.

Editorial & Peer Review Contributions

  • Editor-in-Chief: "Journal of Applied Biology and Biotechnology"
  • Editor/Associate Editor for Frontiers in Microbiology, Current Microbiology, Plant Science Today & Microbial Biosystems
  • Handled 229 manuscripts
  • Reviewer for 131 peer-reviewed journals (Reviewed 495 manuscripts)

More Details

For further details and awards list, visit Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav’s profile.

The main research areas of the department are

1. Bio-fortification of wheat for high grain micronutrients
2. Iron, zinc and carotenoid bioavailability from bio-fortified staple crops
3. Development of novel packaging film for fruit and vegetable storage
4. Development of ZnO-Cellulose Nanocomposite for extending storage life of Ginger
5. KASP assay for powdery mildew resistant genes in wheat
6. Development of microbial Consortium as Bio-inoculants
7. Microbial Culture Collection (MCC) of hilly regions

Major Laboratory Facility Available

Thermo Cycler (PCR), Gel Documentation System, Horizontal and Vertical Gel electrophoresis, Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, BOD, Laminar Air Flow, Compound Microscope with Camera, Seed Counter, Seed Germinator, Autoclave, Mili-Q water purification System, Biosaftey Cabinets (Level-II and Level-III), Elisa Reader, Cooling Centrifugations, Hot Air Oven, Spectrophotometer, Water Bath, -80C Deep Freezer, -20C Deep Freezer

Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav
Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav
Designation: Assistant Professor and HOD
Ph.D.: Science (Biotechnology)

Specialization: Microbial Biotechnology

Contact: +91-9882545085
Email: ajar@eternaluniversity.edu.in

Download CV
Dr. Sapna Thakur
Dr. Sapna Thakur
Designation: Assistant Professor
Ph.D.: Biotechnology

Specialization: Agricultural Nanotechnology

Contact: +91-9459506118
Email: sapna@eternaluniversity.edu.in

Download CV
Dr. Vikrant Tyagi
Dr. Vikrant Tyagi
Designation: Assistant Professor
Ph.D.: Plant Breeding and Genetics

Specialization: Pre-Breeding

Contact: +91-9478303813
Email: drvikrantgpb@eternaluniversity.edu.in

Download CV
Prof. H. S. Dhaliwal
Prof. H. S. Dhaliwal
Designation: Professor Eminence
Ph.D.: Genetics

Specialization: Conventional Breeding

Contact: 9805098702
Email: hsdhaliwal@eternaluniversity.edu.in

Research Publications

  • Research publications: 600
  • Edited books: 60
  • Book chapters: 235
  • Patents granted: 02
  • Patents published: 10
  • Popular articles: 90
  • Lab manual: 5

The department got 8 externally funded projects worth Rs. 3 crores by DBT, DST, HIMCOSTE.

  1. Biofortification of wheat for high grain micronutrients through conventional and molecular breeding approaches Phase-II
  2. Improvement of end use quality of 1BL/1RS translocation containing wheat varieties by removing Sec-1 loci and retaining Glu-B3 using marker assisted back cross breeding (MABB) -(PI: Dr. Pritesh Vyas, Amount: 55.0 Lakhs, Funder: Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India)
  3. Screening iron, zinc and carotenoid bioavailability from biofortified staple crops using coupled in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model
  4. Development of novel packaging film for fruit and vegetable storage using metal oxides Nano particles sythesized by different processes
  5. Development of ZnO-Cellulose Nanocomposite for extending storage life of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) (PI: Dr. Sapna Thakur, Amount: 8 Lakhs, Funder: DEST-Shimla, Himachal Pradesh)
  6. Development of Novel packaging film for fruit and vegetable storage using metal oxides Nanoparticles synthesized by different processes. (PI: Dr. Sapna Thakur, Amount: 25.50 Lakhs, Funder: DST, GoI, SR/WOS-A/LS-296/2017)
  7. High Resolution QTL Maping for Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Grain protein, and Phytate Content and their integration in high yielding cultivars. (PI: Dr. Imran Sheikh, Amount: 37.0 Lakhs, Funder: Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India)
  8. Development and validation of high resolution KASP assay for powdery mildew resistant genes in wheat (PI: Dr. Neeraj Kumar Vasistha, Amount: 20.0 Lakhs Funder: SERB)
  9. Building a Nature Intelligence Platform, a repository of novel species of microbes found in the extreme climatic regions through the application of novel biotechnological tools. ABSOLUTE, Industrial sponsored Project. (PI: Dr. Sapna Thakur, Amount: 8 Lakhs, Funder: Industrial sponsored Project, 2024)
  10. Development of microbial Consortium as Bio-inoculants for Drought and Low Temperature Growing Crops for Organic Farming in Himachal Pradesh (PI- Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav, Funder: DEST-Shimla; Budget: 8.2 Lakhs)

Internally Funded Project

  1. Culture collection of bacteria/fungi/algae/cyanobacteria from hilly areas (PI- Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav, Funder: Eternal University, Baru Sahib; Budget for first year: 01 Lakh)
Achievers details

1. Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav is First Rank in World by ScholarGPS-2024
2. Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav is listed among Top 1% leading Scientist in World by Research.com.
3. Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav, is listed Among Top 2% Scientists in World 2022-23 (Stanford University, California, US)
4. Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav, is listed Among Top 2% Most Influential Scientists (Single Year) in 2022 Stanford University, California, US)
5. Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav is Best Scientist in University in 2020-2024 by AD Scientific Index.
6. Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav Received University Best Researcher Award-2023, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh during the 11th Annual Convocation on May 18, 2024.
7. Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav Received University Best Researcher Award-2022, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh during the 10th Annual Convocation on May 06, 2023.
8. Dr. Ajar Nath Yadav Received Outstanding Associate Editor Award- Frontiers in Microbiology- 2022 and 2023
9. Dr. Imran Sheikh- Received Best Faculty Researcher Award 2022 by Eternal University on 10th convocation 6th May, 2023
10. Dr. Sapna Thakur Received “Women Scientist Fellowship” by Department of Science & Technology DST, Govt. of India, 2018-2021.
11. Dr. Sapna Thakur Received “Best Rising Researcher Award” by Eternal University, Baru Sahib for 2023.
12. Dr. Vikrant Tyagi, received Awarded INSPIRE Fellowship (Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, GoI) for the Ph.D. Programme.
13. Dr. Vikrant Tyagi, received “Best Research Scholar Award in 2018” from Agricultural Technology Development Society, Ghaziabad
14. Dr. Vikrant Tyagi, associated in testing of RCH-1 {FIRST INDIAN CANOLA QUALITY (‘00’) MUSTARD HYBRID} that has been included in package and practices of Rabi crops 2019.
15. Dr. Vikrant Tyagi, associated in testing of Sunflower hybrid PSH 2080 that has been included in package and practices of Kharif crops 2019.
16. Dr. Santosh received “Rajeev Gandhi National Fellowship”, University Grant Commission, New Delhi

Students

1. Dr. Imran Sheikh (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, DKSGACA, Eternal University, Baru Sahib
2. Dr. Prachi Sharma (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Research Assistant, South Essex Fabricating Inc., Ontario, Canada
3. Dr. Abhishake Saxena (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Application Specialist, Bioscreen Instruments Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi
4. Dr. Tanuja Mishra (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Scientist-C, ICMR, Keylong, H.P.
5. Dr. Geetika Guleria (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Research Scientist, PI Industry, Udaipur, Rajasthan
6. Dr. Ambika Sharma (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Assistant Professor, Rajkiya Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Shimla
7. Dr. Nandita Thakur (Ph.D. Biotechnology): PGT (Biology), Akal Academy, Baru Sahib
8. Dr. Meena Verma (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Clinical Research Coordinator, CIDP Biotech India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi
9. Dr. Divjot Kaur (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Assistant Professor, Eternal University, Baru Sahib
10. Dr. Kusam Lata Rana (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Assistant Sales Manager (Research), Metacorp ITES Pvt. Ltd. Noida
11. Dr. Tanvir Kaur (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Assistant Coordinator, IQAC, Eternal University, Baru Sahib
12. Ms. Pratibha Sharma (Ph.D. Biotechnology): Pursuing Ph.D. (Biotechnology), Eternal University, Baru Sahib.
13. Ms. Sheenu Garg (M.Sc. Biotechnology): QC (Senior) Lab Incharge, Agrum Foods India Pvt. Ltd. Punjab
14. Mr. Yogesh Sharma (M.Sc. Biotechnology): Pursuing Ph.D. (Biotechnology) NABI, Mohali
15. Ms. Prabhjot Kaur (M.Sc. Genetics and Plant Breeding): Mandi Supervisor, Punjab Mandi Board, Moga, Punjab
16. Ms. Ramandeep Kaur (M.Sc. Genetics and Plant Breeding): Pursuing Ph.D. (Biotechnology), Eternal University, Baru Sahib
17. Ms. Sakshi Koundal (M.Sc. Genetics and Plant Breeding): Process Associate, Knack Global - Medical Billing Company, SAS Nagar Punjab
18. Ms. Vaishali Sharma (M.Sc. Genetics and Plant Breeding): Process Associate, Knack Global - Medical Billing Company, SAS Nagar Punjab
19. Ms. Nidhi Devi: Pursuing Ph.D. (Genetics and Plant Breeding), Eternal University, Baru Sahib, H.P.
20. Ms. Archita Tandon (M.Sc. Genetics and Plant Breeding): Working as Customer care executive in Amazon chat (for North America) for Teleperformance
21. Ms. Renuka Thakur (M.Sc. Biotechnology): Quality Assurance Manager, Alna Biotech Pvt Ltd, Panchkula, Haryana
22. Ms. Kartika Shukla (M.Sc. Biotechnology): Executive Microbiologist, JHS Swendgaard Laboratories Ltd. Kala Amb, Nahan H.P.
23. Ms. Rajeshwari Negi (M.Sc. Biotechnology): Pursuing Ph.D. (Biotechnology), Eternal University, Baru Sahib.

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