National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Dr. Pious Thomas
FELLOW, ELECTED 2011

Born at Plassanal, Kottayam District, Kerala, India on 1 December 1960. Educated at St. Antony's High School, Plassanal, 1966-76; St. George's College, Erattupetta 1978; Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, 1978-84; Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 1986-89; Sheffield University, UK 1989-1990; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA 1999-2000. B.Sc. 1982; M.Sc. 1984; Ph.D. 1989; Post Doc. 1990; PDF, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, 2007.

CEO & Director, Thomas Biotech & Cytobacts Centre for Biosciences (OPC) Pvt. Ltd., Amruthahalli, Bangalore.

Research Scientist, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode, Kerala, 1985-1986; Scientist, 1990-99, and Senior Scientist, Division of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, 1999-2007; Principal Scientist, Division of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, 2007-2018.

Awards/Honours: National Merit Scholarship; Young Scientist Award, Kerala Science Congress 1990; Commonwealth Fellowship 1989-90, Sheffield, U.K.; DBT Overseas Associateship Award, 1997-98 and 2007; IARI Sukumar Basu Memorial Award, 1999-2000; HSI Shri Giridhari Lal Chadha Memorial Gold Medal, 2010; IARI Shri Hari Krishna Shastri Memorial Award, 2012; Best Research Paper Award, Vision Group on Science & Technology, Govt. of Karnataka, 2014; Dr. B. P. Pal Memorial Best Scientist Award of National Academy of Biological Sciences, Chennai, 2015; BIRAC - Biotech Ignition Grant Award, 2018; Winner of BIRAC-CCAMP National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition 2019.

Fellow: National Academy of Biological Sciences, Chennai; Plant Tissue Culture Association of India; Pune; Horticultural Society of India, New Delhi; International Society for Noni Science, Chennai. Life Member: The National Academy of Sciences-India, Allahabad; National Academy of Biological Sciences, Chennai; Horticultural Society of India; Society for Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology; Association for the Promotion of DNA Fingerprinting and Other DNA Technologies; Society for Promotion of Horticulture; Biotechnology Association of India; Association of Microbiologists of India; International Society for Noni Science; Indian Science Congress Association, Kolkota; Kerala Academy of Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram; Asian PGPR Society, Hyderabad.

Research Areas: Horticulture/Plant Biotechnology (Tissue culture), Basic Molecular Biology, Endophytic & Molecular Microbiology, Micropropagation of papaya

Address: CEO & Director, Thomas Biotech & Cytobacts Centre for Biosciences (OPC) Pvt Ltd., 318, Talacauvery Layout, Amruthahalli, Bengaluru 560092, Karnataka; 'Serenity', No. 318, 1st Main, Thalakavery Nagar, Byatayaranapura, Bengaluru 560092, Karnataka; [Tel: Off. (080) 95244466; Cell: 9480514820; Email: pioust@gmail.com; thomasbiotech.opc@gmail.com]