A Researcher in Genetics, Plant Breeding and Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Dr. D. Shivani is an accomplished academician and researcher in Genetics and Plant Breeding, with over five years of experience in teaching, research and student mentoring. She currently serves as Associate Professor and Head, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, School of Agriculture, Kaveri University, Telangana. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. (Ag.) in Genetics and Plant Breeding from PJTSAU, Hyderabad, and has contributed to research associated with ICAR–Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), including work associated with rice variety DRR Dhan 77.
Her research interests include genome-wide association studies (GWAS), molecular and quality breeding in rice, biofortification, seed science, plant genomics, climate-resilient crop improvement, abiotic stress screening, microbiome studies, and natural farming. Her research has resulted in publications in reputed journals, including The Plant Genome and Rice Science, covering rice grain quality, disease resistance, genetic diversity, nutritional traits, and yield-related characteristics.
Dr. Shivani is currently the Principal Investigator of National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)-CRG, ICAR sponsored research project worth Rs.29.80 lakh on the metagenomic sequencing of soil microbiomes under natural and conventional farming systems across different agroecological regions of Telangana State.
She has authored and contributed to research and review articles, books and book chapters published by reputed academic publishers, including Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis, Elsevier, and CRC Press, along with popular articles on contemporary agricultural topics. She has also actively participated in national and international conferences, training programmes, workshops, and faculty development programmes.
Her academic excellence has been recognized through several honours, including the DST–INSPIRE Fellowship, Best Ph.D. Thesis Award, State First Rank achievements, university medals, and awards for research presentations. She is also a Life Member of the Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding (ISGPB) and the Indian Society of Agriculture & Horticulture Research Development (ISAHRD).
Through her commitment to research, teaching, and academic leadership, Dr. Shivani contributes to advancing genetics and plant breeding research and promoting innovative and sustainable approaches to crop improvement.
