Arsenic in Rice A Global Menace

Garima Awasthi, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. She earned a PhD in Biological Sciences from CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI). She also worked as a SERB-National Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Lucknow. In recent years, she has published more than 46 scientific articles in peer-reviewed international journals on heavy metal stress in plants, mainly on arsenic problems in rice, which have been widely cited. She has been an evaluator of scientific articles and manuscripts for various international scientific publishers. The line of research that she develops is multidisciplinary in the areas of plant abiotic and biotic stress, nanotechnology, plant physiology, and proteomics. She has collaborated with various educational institutions and research centers as well as with the industrial sector. Dr. Awasthi has taught courses and seminars and has participated in national and international scientific conferences. In addition, she has advised students for the development and completion of bachelor’s degrees, Master of Science degrees, and Doctor of Science thesis in the Life Sciences disciplines

Sudhakar Srivastava, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. He earned his PhD in Botany from the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute and the University of Lucknow, India. He served as a Scientific Officer at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India, before joining BHU. He has more than 19 years of research experience in the field of plant-metal interactions. He has published more than 125 research and review articles in high-impact international and national journals. He has also published 25 book chapters and edited three books. He has supervised PhD and MPhil students. Dr. Srivastava is an associate of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He has received a Young Scientist Award from the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), Allahabad, in 2011 and a Young Scientist Award from the Uttar Pradesh Council of Science & Technology. Dr. Srivastava is also a Fellow of the Indian Society of Environmental Botanists, Lucknow, India.

Mahipal Singh Sankhla is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Forensic Science at Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Prior to this, he served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Forensic Science at the Institute of Sciences, SAGE University, Indore, India. He completed a BSc (Hons.), and MSc, both in Forensic Science. Currently he is pursuing a PhD in Forensic Science at Galgotias University, Greater Noida, India. He has done training at the Forensic Science Laboratory, Lucknow; Central Forensic Science Laboratory, New Delhi; Codon Institute of Biotechnology Noida; and Rajasthan State Mines & Minerals Limited (R&D Division), Udaipur, India. Mr. Sankhla has received several awards and honors, including a Junior Research Fellowship-JRF; DST-Funded Project at Malaviya National Institute of Technology-MNIT, Jaipur; Young Scientists Award; and Best Young Researcher Award. Mr. Sankhla has edited four books and published 10 book chapters in national and international publications. He has published more than 120 research and review papers in peer-reviewed international and national journals. He has participated and presented his research work at more than 25 national and international conferences and workshops and has organized more than 25 national and international conferences, workshops, and faculty development programs.