PAU plant breeder elected genetics society Fellow

Dr Surinder Sandhu, a distinguished plant breeder at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has been elected as a Fellow of the prestigious Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding (ISGPB).

This honour recognises her outstanding contributions to agricultural research and crop improvement. Sandhu began her illustrious career in agricultural research by receiving the ICAR-Jawaharlal Nehru Award for outstanding doctoral research in plant breeding at the PAU in 1995. She has served as an ICAR-ARS scientist before joining the PAU as a plant breeder in 2002.

Over her 28-year career, she has spearheaded the development and release of 24 crop varieties and hybrids for cultivation in Punjab, with six released at the national level. Her contributions have also extended to the commercialisation of PAU-bred hybrids through four MoUs with leading seed companies.

As the principal investigator of 13 major research projects, Sandhu has also been an inspiring educator, winning the “ICAR-PAU Best Teacher Award” (2010–11).