National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Prof. Om Parkash Dhankher
PRAVASI FELLOW, ELECTED 2025

Born in Bakheta village in Rohtak District, Haryana, India on 1stJanuary 1964. Educated at CRZ High School Sonepat, Haryana, 1979-80; Hindu College Sonepat, Haryana, 1980-81; All India Jat Heroes Memorial College (under Maharishi Dayanand University), Rohtak, Haryana, 1982-82; Kurukshetra University, Haryana, 1985-88; Durham University, United Kingdom, 1994-98; University of Georgia Athnes, USA, 1998-2003; B.Sc. (Med.) 1985; M.Sc. 1987; Ph.D. 1998.

Professor, Stockbridge SAchool of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA, 2017 to date.

Lecturer, 1989-1994, All India Jat Heroes Memorial College, Rohtak, Haryana; Postdoctoral Research Scientist, 1998-2001 and Assistant Research Professor, 2002-2004, University of Georgia Athnes, USA; Assistant Professor, 2005-2011, Associate Professor, 2012-2016, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA. Graduate Program Director, 2-16-2018, Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA.

Awards/Honours: Commonwealth Scholarship/Fellowship, 1994-1998, Commonwealth Commission London, United Kingdom; Award of Excellence for outstanding Research, 2003, Division of Environmental Chemistry, American Chemical Society, USA; Healey Endowment Research Award, 2005, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA; Faculty Honor/Recognition for Patent Awards, 5 times 2011-2020, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA; Member Executive Committee, 2015-present, Indian Society of Plant Physiology (ISPP), New Delhi; Elected Member Executive Committee, 2012-2016, American Society of Plant Biologists, USA; Member Faculty Senate Council for University Relations and Advancement, 2015-2024 and ChairFaculty Senate Council for University Relations and Advancement, 2016-2019, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA; Member of Steering Committee, 2016-2023,Worldwide University Network (WUN); Elected Vice President, 2015-2023, International Phytotechnology Society, USA; Haryana Gaurav Samman Award, 2017, Govt of Haryana State; Adjunct Professor, 2019-2022, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana; Member, 2021-2022, International Award Committee, Crop Science Society of America and Agronomy Society of America, USA;Editor, 2007-2011, Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants (Elsevier); Editorial Board, 2007-2011, Plant and Soil Journal; Editorial Board, 2019-present, Plants; Guest Editor for 6 Special Issues (Plant Cell and Environment; Journal of Experimental Botany; Frontiers in Plant Sciences; International Journal of Molecular Sciences; Plant Physiology Reports); Co-Editor-in-Chief, 2022-present, Plant Physiology Reports (Elsevier); Editor, 2015-2022, Plant Physiology Reports;  Editor, 2022-present, Plant Cell Reports; Senior Associate Editor, 2016-present, International J. of Phytoremediation; Associate Editor, 2022-present, The Plant Genome; Associate Editor, 2020-present, Crop Science; Associate Editor, 2019-present, Food & Energy Security; Outstanding Agriculture Research Scientist Award, 2021, Association of Agriculture Scientist of Indian Origin (AASIO), USA; Spotlight Scholar Award, 2024, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA; Outstanding Research Award, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA; Distinguished Service Award, 2024, International Phytotechnology Society, USA.

Fellow: American Society of Plant Biologist (ASPB), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Agronomy Society of America (ASA), International Society of Environmental Botanists (ISEB), Indian Society for Plant Physiology.

Research Areas: Metabolic Engineering, Abiotic stresses, Climate Adaptations, Phytoremediation, Crop Improvements

Address: Room 318, Paige Laboratory, 161 Holdsworth Way, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003, USA; 59 Overlook Dr. Amherst, MA 01002, USA; [Tel. Off. +1-4135450062; Res. +1-4136872177; Cell: +1-4136872177; Email: opdhankher01@gmail.com; parkash@umass.edu