National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Dr. Suman Preet Singh Khanuja
FELLOW, ELECTED 2002

Born in New Delhi, India on 13 August 1958. Educated at SBM Higher Secondary School, Delhi, 1971-75; B.Sc., 1980 and M.Sc. 1982, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar; Ph.D., Indian Agricultural Research Instiute, 1987; Post Doctoral, University of California, San Diego, USA, 1990.

Advisor/Mentor/Director (Industries-Academia) 2008 till date; Founder Chairman, FloraFauna Science Foundation, Lucknow, 2015 to date; Distinguished Professor, Bioengineering & Food Technology, Shoolini University, Solan since July 2020. [Former Director CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow 2001-08]; Founder & Mentor SKiES India Innovation Incubator (since 2011) & Food Innovations Venture (since July 2021)

Scientist, 1986-91 and Scientist (Senior Scale), National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, IARI, New Delhi, 1991-96; Visiting Fellow, USDA, Beltsville (ARS), Maryland, USA, 1995; Scientist E-II and Head Genetic Resources and Biotechnology Division, CIMAP, 1996-2001; Director, CIMAP, Lucknow, 2001-08; Chief Scientific Advisor (bioAgriculture & bioNutrition), Avesthagen Limited, Bangalore 2008; Chief Executive Officer & Director Mayar Biotech SEZ, Sohna, NCR, 2009-10; Chief Mentor & Director, Nutrahelix Biotech, Delhi/Mumbai 2010-12; NutriPlanet Foods, Bangalore 2017-20; Advisor, Board of Agro-Incubator a-IDEA at ICAR-NAARM (National Academy of Agriculture Research Management), Hyderabad since July 2018; Expert Member, Global Executive Advisory Board of Expert Nutraceutical Advocacy Council (ENAC) since April 2019; Founder Editor of scientific popular magazine FloraSarthi since its inception in August 2019; Chief Mentor, Institute of Industrial Development, IID, an entrepreneurship incubator working under PPP mode with Ministry of MSME New Delhi May- December 2020; Honorary Member, Advisory Board of the IJBST Journal Group since July 2020. Distinguished Professor, Bioengineering & Food Technology, Shoolini University, Solan since July 2020; Member Advisory Board Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar UniversityBBAU (Central University), Lucknow since October 2020; Chairman Research Advisory Committee (RAC), ICAR-DMAPR (Directorate of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Research), Boriavi, Anand, Gujarat since December 2020; Member Research Advisory Committee (RAC), ICAR-IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi) since July 2021.

Awards/Honours: CSIR Technology Award for Life Sciences 2012 for R&D Facilitating Industrial Growth, Societal Health and Rural Prosperity, New Delhi, September 2012, CSIR Award for Innovations in Rural Development (CAIRD 2008) for implementation of Agro-entrepreneurship through Biovillage concept in India as team leader, CIMAP; VASVIK Award in Biosciences & Technology for Research in Biotechnology leading to Industrial and Agricultural Applications, Mumbai, August 2008, Upbhoktashri 2008 Award for Applied Research meeting Client/Consumer expectations by Bharat Jyoti (Consumer's Forum Association), Lucknow, August 2008; Golden Peacock Eco-Innovation Award 2008 for Ecofriendly and Organic Technologies and Research as Team leader, CIMAP May 2008; Nina Saxena Excellence in Technology Award-2007 by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur for novel anti-malarial drug variety of plant Artemisia annua with complete technology package to improve health, while enhancing rural income through value chain development; Best Invention Prize by All India Industrial Exhibition Society, Hyderabad for R & D innovations enabling linkage between farm and pharma sectors - CIMAP's innovative approach for implementation of device, February, 2007; FICCI Award 2004-05 for Rural Development for Excellent work in rural employment and income enhancement through innovative R&D; Prof SK Mukerjee Commemoration Lecture (Young Scientist Award) for the year 2005-2006 in the Section of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Indian Science Congress, Hyderabad, January, 2006; Platinum Jubilee Lecture Award 2005, Indian Science Congress, Ahmedabad, January 2005; EOAI-SOM Award 2003-2005 for "Development and dissemination of a new variety of Mentha arvensis known as KOSI; Patent Appreciation Award for US Patent No.6,423,741 on "Antimicrobial composition and the method for producing the same" from Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA), Mumbai, 2004; All India Biotech Association (AIBA) Award for Agricultural Biotechnology (2000), CSIR Technology Prize for Biological Sciences-1999; Best Teacher Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and Guiding Post Graduate Students at IARI, New Delhi, 1995.

Fellow: National Academy of Sciences, India; Indian Society of Agricultural Biochemists; Plant Tissue Culture Association of India; Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Society of India, (President, 2006-2013).

Research Areas: Molecular and General Genetics, Biotechnology, Plant Genetics and Breeding, Plant Metabolomics; Technology Sectors: Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Natural Products, Botanicals, Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals, Secondary Agriculture, Agribusiness

Address: C 41-42, Double Storey, Ramesh Nagar, New Delhi 110015; [Tel: Cell: 9711773867 (Delhi), 8005044134 (Lucknow); Email: spskhanuja@gmail.com; khanujazy@yahoo.com]