Dr. Ajit Kumar Shasany is currently serving as Director, CSIR- National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow. Before joining CSIR-NBRI he served as the Director, ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, and Chief Scientist, Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow.
Dr. Ajit Kumar Shasany started his carrier at OUAT, Bhubaneswar (BSc Ag), and graduated from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (PhD. Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) with a merit medal and an OGPA 4.0 out of 4.0. Also secured the highest OGPA (8.81/10.00) in MSc with two awards and studied Agricultural Biotechnology at AAU, Jorhat. Having a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, he blends rural development with recent approaches to Plant Molecular Biology. The research interest includes plant diversity, metabolic engineering in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and bioprospection for human health. After joining ICAR NIPB, focusing on the innate immunity of crop plants through gene editing. Spends 20% of the time for the farmers through promotion and training on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants aimed at improving their livelihood.