Academic Statement:
I am an early-career scientist with 12 years of teaching and research experience in the areas of horticulture, plant physiology, post-harvest technology, and functional genomics. A central focus of my research has been improving post-harvest quality and extending the shelf life of horticultural crops—expertise that directly aligns with the identification of fruit ripening regulatory factors for shelf-life extension in fruits and vegetables.
Throughout my academic and research career, I have explored both the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying senescence, ripening, and stress responses in fruit and vegetable crops. My M.S. research, titled “Effect of Plant Spacing and Nitrogen Levels on Growth, Yield and Quality of Broccoli,” investigated the effects of agronomic management on yield and post-harvest quality—an early step into understanding shelf-life regulation through physiological manipulation. This work laid the foundation for my interest in nutritional quality and storage behavior of crops.
During my Ph.D., I received the prestigious Science and Technology Fellowship (2018–2022) and focused on a novel topic: “Role of Autophagy in Premature Senescence and in Cell Death Induced by Amino Acid Loading in Physcomitrium patens.” My research clarified the interplay between autophagy, nitrogen starvation, and senescence—providing a deeper molecular understanding of how stress and aging-related genes impact plant survival and development. The findings from this study, published in high-impact journals (Plants, Plant and Cell Physiology), are relevant to the study of fruit ripening and senescence, especially in the context of shelf life regulation at the cellular level. The study also demonstrates that autophagy-derived amino acids enhance starch synthesis by supplying energy, suggesting a regulatory mechanism linking protein degradation and energy metabolism. This insight into nutrient recycling pathways may inform the identification of fruit ripening regulatory factors that could be manipulated to extend mango shelf life.
Beyond model systems, I have conducted applied research on shelf life improvement and post-harvest quality of crops like mango, strawberry, and broccoli. These studies examined physical, physiological, and biochemical changes in relation to ripening and quality deterioration. My current and past projects on mango maturity indexing and post-harvest quality assessment further illustrate my transition toward fruit-specific post-harvest research. These efforts aim to optimize harvest timing and storage conditions—critical components for identifying ripening regulators in mango.
As a faculty member at university level, I am actively engaged in both teaching and research. In my current role, I have demonstrated biochemical and molecular technical skills through investigation of mechanisms related to abiotic stress tolerance and post-harvest of fruits and vegetables. I also provide mentoring to both my postgraduate students, lab members and to colleagues. Being an active researcher, I supervise several postgraduate students as part of their dissertations. At the same, I teach different aspects of Horticulture related course such as Spices and Plantation crops, Research Methodology, Precision Horticulture, Fundamentals of Horticulture and Fruits and vegetables production at undergraduate and graduate levels. I have presented research findings in many international conferences/symposia and involved in many professional networks/organizations at home and abroad.