PhD in Botany
Current position: Assistant Professor at the Center of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, India
Research focus: regulation of abiotic stress in plant system by applying some viable and sustainable techniques
Anita is now going to develop some strategies to reduce the impact of abiotic stress such as pesticide, drought and salinity on plant physiology by applying some viable techniques that can be easily implemented in the agricultural fields to reduce their toxic impact on plants.
As a postdoctoral researcher, she has also worked on nanotechnology by applying some nanonutrient like Zinc oxide and Copper(II) oxide to increase the yield and other metabolic activities of plants by increasing the nutrient efficiency of plants.
2013 & 2016 Best Presentation Award in the Seminar held by Indian Science Congress Association
2007 Alice J. Murphy Outstanding Award for Excellence in Research and Education
CV as submitted for the Green Talents award (2012):
University of Allahabad, India
Research focus: irrigation water as a source of heavy metal contamination in vegetable crops; soil remediation
Award-winning botanist Anita Singh is developing economically viable soil remediation techniques and trying to mitigate the impact of heavy metals on plant physiology, plant yield and human health.
Heavy metals in the environment are permanent. Instead of decaying, like organic pollutants, they “bioaccumulate” and are extremely toxic in high concentrations. As it turns out, heavy metals can be introduced into the human food chain when farmers irrigate their crops using treated industrial or municipal wastewater. An insidious problem, this was the subject of Anita Singh’s PhD dissertation work, several of her first international publications, and an award-winning paper which assessed the risk of heavy metal toxicity from contaminated vegetables and the implications for human health.
Today a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Allahabad, India, Singh is now focusing her efforts on sustainable solutions to the problem. Because many conventional soil remediation technologies have proven expensive and disruptive, Singh is developing cost-effective techniques for reducing the bioavailability of heavy metals and mitigating their impact on plant physiology, plant yield and human health. “My aim is to apply biotechnology to achieve environmentally sound solutions to the global waste crisis facing both developed and developing countries,” says Singh. “Improving agricultural productivity while removing toxic chemicals and heavy metal pollution from the environment will be crucial to sustainable development.”
The jury noted the tremendous impact of Singh’s research in her field and was particularly impressed by her excellent record of publications and awards, including the Alice J. Murphy Outstanding Award for excellence in Research and Education.
