Our lab research focus lies in plant developmental biology and metabolic engineering. Several important plants undergo activity-dormancy cycles in the Himalayan region, which is required to survive under unfavourable conditions. Also, critical developmental processes such as flowering, metabolite synthesis, tuber/corm/bulb formation etc., are regulated by photoperiod and temperature.  Thus, we aim to decipher the molecular regulation of seasonal growth, development and dormancy in economically important underground vegetative tissues.

Secondly, secondary metabolites produced in plants have therapeutic and culinary uses. These specialized metabolites are synthesized via different pathways in planta. We aim to elucidate these pathways and engineer them for enhanced metabolite production. Below are a few projects going presently in the lab.

1. Saffron Developmental Biology
2.  Synthetic biology approach to engineer Asafoetida's specialized terpenoid production 

Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019) awarded by the Kempe Foundation, Sweden.

DBT-RA Fellowship (2012) awarded by the Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, India.

Senior Research Fellowship (2008) awarded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India.

1. Alok Ranjan, Irene Perrone, Sanaria Alallaq, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Adeline Rigal, Federica Brunoni, Walter Chitarra, Frederic Guinet, Annegret Kohler,Francis Martin, Nathaniel R Street, Rishikesh Bhalerao, Valérie Legué, and Catherine Bellini. (2022). Molecular basis of differential adventitious rooting competence in poplar genotypes. Journal of Experimental Botany.https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erac126.
2. Nishant Kumar Chourasia, Sanket More, Ashok Kumar, Dharmendra Kumar, Brajesh Singh, Vinay Bhardwaj, Awadhesh Kumar, Sourav Kumar Das, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Gaurav Zinta, Rahul Kumar Tiwari, Milan Kumar Lal. (2022) Salinity Tolerance Mechanisms in Underground Vegetable Crops – A Review. Planta. (2022) 255:68.
3. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Rishikesh P. Bhalerao and Jay P. Maurya (2021). When to branch: seasonal control of shoot architecture in trees. The FEBS Journal. doi:10.1111/febs.16227.
4. Abdul Azeez, Yiru Chen Zhao, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Yordan S. Yordanov, Madhumita Dash, Pal Miskolczi, Katja Stojkovič, Steve H. Strauss, Rishikesh P. Bhalerao, and Victor B. Busov. (2021).The EARLY BUD-BREAK regulatory module in Populus. Nature Communications 12:1123.
5. Sen Lin#, Rajesh Kumar Singh#, Moe Hninsi, and Duroy Navarre (2021). R2R3-MYB Transcription Factors, StmiR858 and Sucrose Mediate Potato Flavonol Biosynthesis. #Equal contribution. Horticulture Research, 8:25.
6. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Rishikesh P. Bhalerao and Maria E Eriksson (2020). Growing in time: Exploring the molecular mechanisms of tree growth. Tree Physiology. 41, 657–678.
7. Jay P. Maurya,Pal C. Miskolczi, Sanat kumar Mishra, Rajesh Kumar Singh, and Rishikesh P. Bhalerao. (2020). A genetic framework for regulation and seasonal adaptation of shoot architecture in hybrid aspen. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.17(21) 11523–11530. 
8. Jay P. Maurya, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Pal C. Miskolczi, Amritha N. Prasad, Kristoffer Jonsson, Feng Wu, and Rishikesh P. Bhalerao (2020). Branching Regulator BRC1 Mediates Photoperiodic Control of Seasonal Growth in Hybrid Aspen. Current Biology, 30, 1–5.
9. Pal Miskolczi, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Szymon Tylewicz, Abdul Azeez, Jay P. Maurya, Danuše Tarkowská, Ondřej Novak, Kristoffer Jonsson and Rishikesh P. Bhalerao. (2019).Long range mobile signals mediate seasonal control of shoot growth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.116 (22) 10852-10857. 
10. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Pal Miskolczi, Jay P. Maurya, Rishikesh P. Bhalerao. (2019). A tree ortholog of SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE floral repressor mediates photoperiodic control of bud dormancy. Current Biology, 29, 1-6.
11. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Jay Prakash Maurya, Abdul Azeez, Pal Miskolczi, Szymon Tylewicz, Katja Stojkovič, Nicolas Delhomme, Victor Busov and Rishikesh P. Bhalerao. (2018). A genetic network mediating the control of bud break in hybrid aspen.Nature Communications, 9:4173.
12. S. Tylewicz, A. Petterle, S. Martilla, P. Miskolczi, A. Azeez, Rajesh Kumar Singh, J. Immanen, D.  Eklund, J. L. Bowman, Y. Helariutta, R. P. Bhalerao. (2018).Photoperiodic control of seasonal growth is mediated by ABA acting on cell-cell communication.Science, 360, 212–215.
13. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Smriti Srivastava, Hemangi G Chidley, Pravendra Nath, Vidhu A. Sane.(2018). Overexpression of mango alcohol dehydrogenase (MiADH1) mimics hypoxia in tomato plants and alters its fruit flavor components. Agri Gene, 7: 22-33.
14. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Akhilesh K. Chaurasia, Vidhu A. Sane.(2017).Mango HPPD gene expression correlates with tocopherol levels in fruits and its overexpression results in elevated tocopherol levels in Arabidopsis and Tomato. 3BIOTECH, 7: 352.
15. Kristoffer Jonsson, Yohann Boutté, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Delphine Gendre, Rishikesh P. Bhalerao. (2017). Ethylene Regulates differential growth via BIG ARF-GEF-dependent post-Golgi secretory trafficking in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell, Vol. 29: 1039–1052.  
16. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Tetiana Syvstun, Badr AlDahmash, Anna Maria Jönsson and Rishikesh P. Bhalerao. (2017).Photoperiodic and temperature mediated control of phenology in trees-a molecular perspective. New Phytologist 213: 511–524.
17. Smriti Srivastava, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Garima Pathak, Ridhi Goel, Mehar H Asif, Aniruddha Sane, and Vidhu Sane. (2016). Comparative transcriptome analysis of unripe and mid-ripe fruit of Mangifera indica (var. Dashehari) unravels ripening associated genes. Scientific Reports. 6:32557.
18. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Duroy A Navarre, and Charles R. Brown. (2016). Relationship between Sugars and Phenylpropanoids in Tubers from Diverse Genotypes. Am. Journal of Potato Research. 93:581-589.
19. Raja S Payyavula, Rajesh Kumar Singh, and Duroy A. Navarre. (2013). Transcription factors, sucrose and sucrose metabolic genes interact to regulate potato phenylpropanoid metabolism. Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 64, No. 16, pp. 5115–5131, 2013.
20. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Smriti Srivastava and Vidhu A. Sane. (2013). Biology and biotechnology of fruit flavor and aroma volatiles. Stewart Postharvest Review, Volume 9, December, pp. 1-13 (13).
21. Zora Singh, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Vidhu A Sane, and Pravendra Nath. (2013). Mango - Postharvest biology and biotechnology. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 30-202-234.
22. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sharique A. Ali, Pravendra Nath and Vidhu A. Sane. (2011). Activation of ethylene responsive p-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (MiHPPD) leads to increased tocopherol levels during ripening in mango. Journal of Experimental Botany, 6: 1-11.
23. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Vidhu A. Sane, Aparna Misra, Sharique A. Ali and Pravendra Nath (2010). Differential expression of the mango alcohol dehydrogenase gene family during ripening. Phytochemistry, 71:1485–1494.
24. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Aparna Misra, Vidhu A Sane and Pravendra Nath. (2009). Isolation of High-Quality RNA from Oil Seeds of Jatropha curcas.J. Plant Biochemistry & Biotechnology,Vol. 18(1):77-81.
25. Amita Chourasia, Vidhu A. Sane, Rajesh Kumar Singh and Pravendra Nath. (2008). Isolation and characterization of the MiCel1 gene from mango: ripening related expression and enhanced endoglucanase activity during softening. Plant Growth Regulation, 56:117–127.