Dr Durgesh Kumar Jaiswal is an Assistant Professor (Research) in the Department of Biosciences at Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, India. An emerging authority in plant-microbe interactions and sustainable agriculture, he excels in microbial biotechnology, leveraging advanced molecular tools and instrumentation. His research targets SDGs 2, 3, 12 and 15 by engineering microbial consortia from crop microbiomes to boost crop yields, enhance soil health, mitigate biotic/abiotic stresses, remediate contaminated land, and convert lignocellulose into biofuels. A prolific communicator, he has authored 28 research articles, 16 reviews, 18 editorials/popular articles, one International report, 21 book chapters, five patents, and 4 books in top journals like Nature of Microbiology, Nature Climate Change, Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Frontiers in Microbiology, Microbiological Research, Plant Cell Reports, Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Cleaner Production, Environmental and Experimental Botany. He reviews for Springer, Elsevier, Frontiers, MDPI, and Wiley, and has deposited over 62 microbial gene sequences (PGPR, EP-fungi, degraders) in NCBI. As Principal Investigator, he leads a ₹49 lakh NHM-MoEF&CC project on utilizing invasive plant biomass for bioactive recovery, biochar production, and rural livelihoods in Uttarakhand.
Research Area
- Agro-Microbial Biotechnology
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Postdoctoral Research, Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship, Savitribai Phule Pune University (2023)
Education
- Ph.D. Biotechnology, Institute of Environment & Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India (2019)
- M.Sc. Biotechnology, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner, India (2010)
- B.Sc. Life Science (Botany, Zoology & Chemistry), DDU Gorakhpur University, India (2006)
Awards
- Springer Nature Editor of Distinction Award 2025, Springer Nature
- ASM-Future Leaders Mentorship Fellowship (FLMF), American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
- AMI Global Ambassador for India, Applied Microbiology International
- Elected Early Career (EC) Sustainability Committee Representative, Microbiology Society (UK)
- Young Scientist Editorial Board (YSEB), Genomics Communications (gComm), Maximum Academic Press
- D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship, MHRD-Empowered Committee, UGC, New Delhi
- NASI-Swarna Jayanti Puraskar in Biological Science, National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI)
- Qualified CSIR SRF-DIRECT, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-HRDG
- Qualified ICAR-NET in Agricultural Biotechnology, ASRB ICAR
- Qualified Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) Biotechnology
- Qualified UP CET in Life Science
Professional Membership
- Expert Reviewer, Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, IPCC (2025)
- Expert Reviewer of Grant Proposals, National Science Centre, Poland
- Expert Reviewer of Grant Proposals, National Research Foundation of Ukraine
- Member, IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM)
- Member, Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition, FAO
- Member, South American Mycorrhizal Research Network
- Member, Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI)
- Life Member, International Society for Development and Sustainability (ISDS), Japan
- Life Member, Asian PGPR Society
- Life Member, Association of Microbiologists of India
- Life Member, Association of Fungal Biologists
- Life Member, Indian Society of Vegetable Science
- Life Member, Society of Pesticide Science India
- Life Member, Society for Science of Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability
- Life Member, National Academy of Biological Sciences (NABS)
- Associate Editor, Frontiers in Microbiology
- Advisory Board Member, Heliyon
- Academic Editorial Member, PLOS ONE; Applied and Environmental Soil Science (Wiley); Advances in Agriculture (Wiley)
- Editorial Board Member, Scientific Reports; BMC Plant Biology; BMC Microbiology; BMC Agriculture
- Guest Editor, Scientific Reports; Frontiers in Microbiology; BMC Microbiology; BMC Plant Biology; Frontiers in Environmental Science
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