Nagraani Mahaajan's Linkedin Analytics

I am passionate about applying technologies to develop plant and microbial products to address various global challenges for food and feed. The motivating factor for me about working in Plant Biotechnology for ‘Crop protection’ is watching how sub-disciplines are coming together into one big field. As a Doctoral Researcher working on “Movement proteins of Mungbean yellow mosaic virus-[India: Vigna] (MYMV-Vg)”, my Ph.D. advisor and I continually ponder on: • How can we increase crop yields? • How to reduce the usage of pesticides and herbicides to make crops tolerant to extremes? A doctoral degree allowed me to address some of the above research areas by collaborating with labs that shared common ground and exchanged expertise. In crop product development through genetic engineering, gene editing, and fermentation-based product development using plant cells and microbes, I worked in: • Crop improvement procedure for drought tolerance, insect pest, and virus resistance • Plant Tissue culture, genetic engineering, molecular biology, and bioinformatics • Proof of concept studies for fungal fermentation-based extraction of essential oil • Communicating scientific results in written and oral form Crop product development is an extremely dynamic field which gave me the flexibility to develop diverse skills sets in achieving significant results: • DBT-JRF grant of 7.98 lakhs for pursuing doctoral research in 2004 • Published two scientific papers in international journals from Ph.D. research work • Contributed to the completion of a BIPP project worth 80 lakhs in bacterial and genetic plant transformation • Lead the BIRAC-BIG project with a grant worth 47.78 lakhs • Added value by 20% in less than 50% of the time in ‘Enhancing the oil production by microbial fermentation’ What I enjoy most about working in this field is the strong sense that I will have a part in creating this future. To achieve this, I am constantly upskilling myself through self-learning, training, and certifications. I learned NGS, CRISPR-Cas9, gDNA design, and immuno techniques from online courses from Jan to Aug 2023. I got trained in real-time PCR and its application in 2013. The fruits of this technology will profoundly impact our lives, with benefits that are little more than a glimmer at present. Apart from professional work, I like: • Listening to Music • Exploring new places • Outdoor sports Connect with me at ✉ [email protected] to know more about me and how I can be valuable to your organization.