Our Mission
At The Genomics Foundation, we strive to improve the lives of those engaged in agriculture and allied sectors through genomics research, education and extension services. We are committed to assemble high-quality reference genomes of useful organisms, search for useful new genes, DNA-based identification of varieties, breeds and diagnosis of diseases, genomics-assisted breeding of climate-resilient and nutritious plant varieties for sustainable food supply, and development of skilled human resource for genomics research. Our team of scientists and social workers work tirelessly to develop innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems and take the technologies developed in the lab to farmer’s field.
Our Patrons
Dr. G.S. Khush
World Food Laureate Prof. Gurdev Singh Khush started his career as Research Assistant, 1957-60, and Assistant Geneticist, 1960-67 at University of California, Davis, California; followed by Plant Breeder, 1967-72 and Head Department of Plant Breeding, 1972-86, and Head Division of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Biochemistry, 1986-2002 at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines. He made his remarkable contributions to rice genetics and breeding working at IRRI for over three decades. His rice varieties have reached the diner plates of more than half the rice eating population. Dr. Khush is recipient of several awards and honours, including Borlaug Award 1977, Japan Prize 1987, World Food Prize 1996, Rank Prize 1998, Wolf Prize 2000, Padma Shri Award 2000, TAAS Swaminathan Award 2006, Golden Sickle Award 2007, Mahathir Science Award 2009; Doctor of Science (h.c.) from fifteen universities including University of Cambridge, England and Ohio State University. He is fellow of Indian National Science Academy; Indian Academy of Sciences; National Academy of Sciences, India; Third World Academy of Sciences; US National Academy of Sciences; Royal Society; Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Chinese Academy of Sciences.
We are very fortunate to have Dr. G.S. Khush as our honoured Patron
Prof. R. B. Singh
Padma Bhushan Prof. R. B Singh served as Head, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, 1972-79 and Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, 1977-79, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi; Regional Officer, Southeast Asia, International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR), 1979-82, and Regional Plant Production and Protection Officer for Asia and the Pacific, 1982-91, FAO at Bangkok; Senior Officer, FAO, Rome, 1991-94; Director and Vice-Chancellor, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 1995-99; Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, Govt. of India, New Delhi, 1999-2000; ADG and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, FAO,Bangkok, 2000-02; Member of the National Commission on Farmers, Govt. of India, New Delhi, 2004-06; and Chancellor, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, 2012-17. He is recipient of IBPGR medal, 1984; Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Award, 1987; Vigyan Gaurav Samman, 2001; D.Sc. (h.c.) from nine Universities, Bharatiya Paramparagat Vigyan Puraskar, 2006; Dr. Zhu Shoumin International College of Nutrition Award, 2007; Distinguished Alumnus Award, B.H.U., 2007; Distinguished Alumnus Award, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA, 2013; Mahindra and Mahindra Lifetime Achievement Award – Krishi Shiromani Samman, 2015; Dr. V. Kurien Memorial Lecture Award, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA, 2015; Dr. D. Sundaresan Memorial Oration Award, NDRI, Karnal, 2016.. Prof. R.B Singh is a Fellow: and past President of National Academy of Sciences, India. His research interests include plant genetics, crop improvement, plant biotechnology, policies for agriculture, farmers and agricultural research and education for development,
We are very fortunate to have Prof.R.B. Singh as our honoured Patron
Dr. R. S. Paroda
Padma Bhusan Dr. Rajendra Singh Paroda served as Director, ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi, 1985-87; DDG (Crop Science) ICAR, 1987-92; Regional Plant Production and Protection Officer, FAO-RAPA, Bangkok, Thailand, 1992-94; Secretary, DARE, GOI and DG-ICAR, 1992-01; Chair, Global Forum on Agricultural Research (1998-2002); Head, CGIAR Program for Central Asia & Caucasus, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 2001-2007; ADG (Int. Coop.), ICARDA, 2007; Executive Secretary, Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), 1993-2014 and Chairman, Haryana Farmers’ Commission, 2010-2014. He has received several awards and honours including Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Prize, 1982-83; ICAR Team Research Award, 1983-84; Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Award, 1988; Om Prakash Bhasin Award, 1992; Asia Pacific Seed Assn. Award, 1995; FAO World Food Day Award, 1995; General President, Indian Science Congress Association, 2000-2001; Dr. B.P. Pal Memorial Award, 2001-02; D.Sc. (h.c.) from 19 universities, Borlaug Award, 2006; Agriculture Today Lifetime Achievement Award 2008; Dr. A.B. Joshi Memorial Award, 2012; Prof. Kannian Memorial Award, 2012; Krishi Siromani Samman by Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. 2013; U.S. Awasthi IFFCO Award and cash prize by FAI 2017; Ch. Amir Singh Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Society of Seed Technology 2019; Dr MS Swaminathan Award for environment protection by Rotary Club of Madras 2020. He is fellow of Indian National Science Academy; Indian Academy of Sciences; Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Third World Academy of Sciences; Academies of Agricultural Sciences of Armenia, Georgia, Tajikistan, Hon. Member of Crop Science Society of America and Agronomy Society of America, and Foreign Fellow of Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). His research interests are in Genetics & plant breeding, cytogenetics, biometrical genetics, genetic resources.
We are very fortunate to have Dr. R. S. Paroda as our honoured Patron
Dr. Manju Sharma
Padma Bhushan Dr. Sharma is internationally known for her distinguished achievements as a researcher, academician in Biotechnology. Born in 1940 and trained as a Plant Scientist; she earned her Ph.D. from Lucknow University in 1961. Her post-doctoral research at Purdue (1967-1968) led to commercial application in rubber plantations in Malaysia. She is the Founder, President and Executive Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Research in Gandhinagar. In 1974, she began working in the Department of Science and Technology, from there she went on to the Planning Commission, and the Office of Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister. Most notably, she served as the Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology for eight years. She has been conferred Honorary Doctorates by at least nine universities. Dr. Sharma has served in leadership positions in many Indian and international scientific societies. She was the General President of the Indian Science Congress Association in 1988; President of the Association of Microbiologists of India (1999) and President of Vigyan Parishad, Prayag. Dr. Sharma was also the President of the Indian National Academy of Sciences and has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and honors, such as the 2006 NASIs Platinum Jubilee Gold Medal for Lifetime Contributions and the Norman E. Borlaug Award. After completing her tenure as Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology in February 2004, she was appointed Adviser to the Minister of Science & Technology and became guest faculty at IIT Delhi. She is the Principal Adviser on Biotechnology to the State Governments of Gujarat and Uttaranchal. In addition to her work, she has dedicated more than 30 years to spreading the message of science to young students, scientists and in particular to women. In 2004 she was elected as the first Chair of the International Council for Science’s Forum on Science for Women. Dr. Sharma was the first woman president of the Indian Academy of Science.
Our team
Meet The Visionaries: Learn About The Genomics Foundation Team Driving Farmer’s Welfare
Prof. Nagendra Kumar Singh
Founder President
Prof. Nagendra Kumar Singh is a renowned agricultural scientist with over 30 years of research and teaching experience in the field of Genetics, Genomics and Plant Breeding. He has played a leading role in the decoding of rice, tomato and wheat genomes by India as part of international consortia and pigeon pea (Arhar Dal), jute and mango genomes entirely by India. He has also been associated with the sequencing of coconut, guar and tea genomes in India. Prof Singh has coordinated large multi-institutional research projects on genomics and transgenic research and development of high-yielding climate-resilient varieties of rice with inbuilt tolerance to drought, flooding and salinity. He has published more than 400 research papers with over 29,000 citations, h-index of 77 and guided more than 50 students for their Masters and Ph.D. degrees. He is committed to improving the lives of farmers, and his research has led to the development of several high-yielding varieties of rice and pigeon pea.
The Governing Body
The Genomics Foundation was conceived primarily by the students and scientists associated with Prof. N.K. Singh but it is open to wider membership in future. The Governing body of TGF includes noted experts in the area of Genomics, Genetic Resources, Biotechnology, Computer Science and Social Science, namely Dr. Rakesh Singh, Prof. Veer Bahdur Singh, Dr. Vandna Rai, Dr. Deepak Bisht. Sri Mohit Singh and Dr. Amrita Singh.
Collaborator's Testimonials
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