Prof. Pradeep Verma, Professor, former Head, Department of Microbiology and Dean of the School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, is a distinguished microbiologist and is internationally recognized for his pioneering contributions to environmental and industrial microbiology. His research interests span low-cost algal biorefineries, enzyme bioprocessing, bioenergy production, lignocellulose valorization, wastewater detoxification and bioelectricity generation. Prof. Verma completed his Ph.D. from Sardar Patel University in Gujarat, India, in 2002. His subsequent research accolades include collaborative research performed in various internationally acclaimed institutions like the Czech Academy of Sciences (Prague, Czech Republic), Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic), UFZ Centre for Environmental Research (Halle, Germany), and Gottingen University (Germany). He has published over 115 research papers in reputed journals, which have garnered 9,139 citations, with an h-index of 50 and an i10-index of 119. He holds multiple patents, has edited 28+ books with leading publishers, and has successfully secured major national research grants (2.5 million INR). Prof. Verma is a distinguished Fellow of various societies, including the IAWS, MSI, BRSI, and AMSc–AMI, and is a recipient of international fellowships from the JSPS and UNESCO. Ranked among the top 2% of scientists worldwide by Stanford University, Prof. Verma exemplifies excellence in microbial biotechnology and sustainable innovation.
Prof. Pawan K Dadheech has more than 35 years of post-graduate teaching and research experience and presently serving as Professor in Microbiology at Central University of Rajasthan. His research interests focus on two main categories: environmental microbiology, including cyanotoxins and systematics, both of which deal largely with cyanobacteria and micro green algae. Dr. Dadheech visited several countries, including Germany, as a visiting scientist and carried out significant research work on molecular biology and diversity of extremophilic/extreme-tolerant bacteria, mainly cyanobacteria. He has described a number of new cyanobacterial and green algal genera and species using polyphasic approach. He has been included as an international scientific collaborator in the UNESCO-TWAS-approved research project on cyanobacteria under International Basic Science Program. Senior Scientist Fellowship of Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries has been awarded to him for conducting research on metagenomics and molecular phylogeny of cyanobacteria. He is acting as a reviewer and member of editorial board in internationally repute scientific journals. Dr Dadheech is a member of several scientific societies and a Fellow of Indian Botanical Society (FBS).