Professor Harikesh Bahadur Singh is Head of the Department of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Over the past 35 years, Professor Singh has served at Central Universities and CSIR Institutes with his teaching and research. Based on his scientific contribution and leadership in the field of plant pathology, Professor Singh has been honoured with prestigious awards, such as the CSIR technology award, M.S. Swaminathan award, Mundkur Memorial award, and BRSI Industrial Medal. His research has resulted in more than 300 publications and 17 books. Dr Vijai G. Gupta is an Assistant Professor of Biotechnology at MITS University of India. Currently he is working as Research Scientist at National University of Ireland in Galway. Dr. Gupta’s present work is focused on the development and optimization of novel Enzyme-based bioconversion systems for biorefining and bioenergy. He has been honored with several awards, including the prestigious Indian ICAR Senior Research Fellowship and Indian Young Scientist Award. He has submitted 33 new fungal nucleotide sequences and deposited 147 fungal strains in International databases. His work with Fusarium spp., Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Penicillium spp. and Trichoderma spp. is augmented by contributions to biotechnological development, molecular diversity, secondary metabolites and industrial applicationsDr. Gupta is the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Plant Pathology and a regional editorial board member of 8 other respected journals. He is the author of 40 journal articles and 27 book chapters. Gupta has also written and edited books and series from reputed publishers, including CRC Press, Taylor and Francis, USA; Springer, USA; Elsevier, USA; Nova Science Publisher, USA and LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany. Dr. Sudisha Jogaiah is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (FNASc), the Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS), and the National Academy of Biological Sciences (FNABS). He is also a Bridge Fellow, Government of Japan, and serves as a Visiting Professor at Yamaguchi University, Japan, and Nanjing Agricultural University, China. In 2022, he joined the Department of Environmental Science at the Central University of Kerala as an Associate Professor. He has been listed among the World's Top 2% of Scientists by Stanford University for 3 consecutive years. His research interests include plant pathology, plant–microbe interactions, plant defense signaling, biocontrol agents, biogenic nanoparticles for induced resistance in plants, and bioremediation. The technological quality and scientific rigor of his laboratory are evident from his extensive publication record and the prestigious national and international awards received.
