Rakesh Upadhyay
Education
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PhD (Biochemistry), CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute and Lucknow University, Lucknow, UP, INDIA
Biography
Dr. Rakesh Upadhyay joined the Department of Natural Sciences as tenure-track Assistant Professor in the fall of 2024. He holds a M.S. degree in biotechnology and a PhD in biochemistry. Dr. Upadhyay has 15 years’ research experience in the area of plant development and stress response in crop plants. He utilizes molecular biology, biochemical and physiological tools along with modern genetic engineering and gene editing tools for improving crop nutritional value, shelf life, grain/fruit quality, and resilience against fluctuating environmental conditions in horticulture crops and is interested in studying molecular evolution and environmental biotechnology of Duckweeds.
Academic Positions and Research Interests
- 2024 onwards-Assistant Professor (tenure-track) at Department of Natural Sciences, Bowie State University, MD, USA
- 2013-2024-Visiting Research Scientist at USDA/ARS-Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), Beltsville, MD, USA
- 2017-2024-Senior Research Associate at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- 2013-2017-Post Doctoral Research Associate at Penn State University, Harrisburg, PA, USA
- 2012-2013-Scientist-R&D-Biosciences at Merck Pharmaceutical at Bengaluru, INDIA
Teaching Responsibility
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Graduate program - Applied Biotechnology & Molecular Biology
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Undergraduate Program- Biology
Research Expertise
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Plant Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics
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Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Memberships & Affiliations
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American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)
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American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
Research Areas of Interest
Dr. Upadhyay oversees the operation of new Functional Genomics and Biotechnology Laboratory (FGBL). His laboratory currently focuses on the following research areas:
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Genetic Improvement of Crops with Quality Traits and Enhanced Stress Resilience
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Developing Innovative Sustainable Agriculture Strategies for Food and Nutritional Security
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Plant and Aquatic Biotechnology, and Phytoremediation
Patents
- USPP16474P3