Swagata Thakur is currently pursuing her PhD in plant pathology at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. She has qualified for ICAR AIEEA-PG (Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination for Agriculture-Post-Graduation) 2020 in plant science with All India Rank (AIR) 16 and availed of junior research fellowship for her MSc from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. During her MSc tenure, she worked on phenotypic and molecular characterization of finger millet against blast disease caused by Pyricularia grisea and gained expertise in finger millet pathology and molecular biology. She has also qualified for ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF (All India Competitive Examinations Junior Research Fellowship, Senior Research Fellowship) 2022 in plant pathology with AIR 10 and is availing a senior research fellowship. She has also availed a DST-INSPIRE fellowship and cleared the ASRB-NET, UGC-NET, and DBT-BET examinations. For her PhD, she is working on the bakanae disease of rice and availing expertise in rice pathology and molecular biology. She has published two research articles, several popular articles/technical articles, and book chapters; attended and presented her research works at several national and international conferences; and received the best oral and poster presentation award. Samrat Saha has completed his BSc in agriculture in 2020 and his MSc in agricultural entomology in 2022 from Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya. He is currently pursuing his PhD in the Department of Entomology at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya. He has gained interest and expertise in the field of apiculture, bee ecology, behaviour, plant-pollinator interaction, and melissopalynology and has published several research articles, popular articles, and book chapters in different reputed journals, magazines, and publishers. He has qualified for ASRB-NET 2023. He has also participated in different national and international seminars and conferences and was awarded best presentation awards. Dr. Govindaraj Kamalam Dinesh is working as an assistant professor at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu, India. He is contributing to environmental science immensely through his publications as well as scientific work. He secured the All India fifth rank in the national-level entrance. He also qualified for the National Eligibility Test and received the national-level IARI senior research fellowship and UGC research fellowship for his higher study. He has experience in the ecology of birds and insects and long-term impact assessment study on distillery effluent application on soil and crops. Currently working in the area of conservation agriculture and ecosystem services valuation, he attended and presented his research work at many national and international conferences and also received the best oral paper presentation award. He is also a recipient of the Young Researcher Award for Excellence in Research. He has published more than 70 scientific articles and 12 research papers in various national and international journals and magazines. He is currently editing a book on microbes and microbiomes for ecosystem restoration. Dr. Archana Anokhe is working as a scientist in the Department of Entomology at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. She was also a visiting scholar at the Agricultural Research Organisation (ARO), in Israel. She has qualified for a junior research fellowship with All India Rank (AIR) 13, a senior research fellowship with AIR-4, and agricultural research services with AIR-8; she was awarded the Women Scientist Award in 2022, Young Scientist Award in 2021, best PhD thesis award in 2020, Best Student Award in 2019, best oral presentation award at the National Entomologist Meet in 2015, and the best poster presentation in the Indo-US International Conference in 2017. She was also awarded a National Talent scholarship and a UGC national fellowship during her graduation and PhD, respectively. Apart from PhD, she has also undergone different degree programmes, such as post-graduate diploma in education technology management and a master of arts in English. She has been involved in the teaching of courses like insect pathology, host plant resistance, advances in host plant resistance, pest of horticultural and plantation crops, insect ornithology, forest entomology, and medical entomology. She has published more than ten research papers in national and international journals and has also published more than 50 popular articles/blogs and technical bulletins and is a member of many institutional committees. She has also been interviewed at Doordarshan and All India Radio. She is the associate editor of the Indian Journal of Entomology, the Indian Entomologist magazine, and the Agro-Titan magazine. Her area of specialization is insect pathology and virus-vector relationship studies.
