Gene Editing: novel tool for harnessing the genome for pulse improvement

Abstract

The current Deputy Director General-Research at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Dr Kiran Sharma is also Theme Leader for the Agribusiness and Innovation Platform (AIP), and Principal Scientist- Cell & Molecular Biology at ICRISAT, based in Hyderabad/India. With a PhD from the University of Delhi in Botany (Experimental Plant Morphogenesis), and post-doctoral training from the University of Calgary in Canada, Dr Sharma has over 30 years’ experience in Cell, Molecular biology and Genetic engineering for crop improvement, performing multidisciplinary research with a thorough understanding of the global agricultural R&D trends, needs and challenges. Dr. Sharma has led several projects with multiple partners and has been proactively involved in policy and regulatory issues related to biotechnology and intellectual property rights in India and the region. He has been leading the CGIAR Research Project on Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals (CRP-GLDC) as its Director.