Ongoing work of lab is on following topics: 

-Understanding biological aspects of Crocus sativus (Saffron) growth

-Understanding the plant-fungal pathogen interaction 

 -Identification of microbial (PGPR/beneficial fungi) and chemical growth regulators for Saffron plant 

• Awarded “National Scholarship under Centre of Advance Study Scheme” scholarship during Masters under Delhi University (2002-2004).
• Awarded GATE-2003, with percentile 96.72 (All India Rank-112).
• Awarded CSIR-JRF 2004 (Top 20: called for SPMF test).
• 1st Prize as co-author in poster presentation during national conference at Mysore (2010).
• DBT-NIPGR short term research associateship from 2013.
• Travel grants from CICS, India to attend international conference New Phytologist: Next Generation Scientist held in Norwich, UK, 2014 (Did not avail). 

Other experiences:

• Contributed as Reviewer in many Journals including Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, PLoS One, Fronteirs in Genetics, Fronteirs in Microbiology, Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge and Genome etc.
• Doctoral advisory committee member of various PhD scholars
• Associate Professor at Academy of CSIR (AcSIR)
• Member of many committees at CSIR-IHBT
• Review Editor on Frontiers in Microbiology and Frontiers in Plant Science

Subject-wise Major publications from lab (Top 10 only, in last 3 years) 

Saffron Biology-Development Biology

•         Kanchan Yadav, Pooja Yadav, Kunal Singh* (2025) Multi-year trial show positive effect of chemical regulators on Crocus sativus growth and development when treated under dormancy. Russian Journal of Plant Physiology, Vol. 71, No. 6, 214.
•         Anjali Chaudhary, Kunal Singh* (2024) Transcriptome analysis of apical meristem enriched bud samples for size dependent flowering commitment in Crocus sativus reveal role of sugar and auxin signalling. Molecular Biology Report 51, 605. 
•         Anjali Chaudhary, Ruchika Thakur, Tina Roy, Kanchan Yadav, Swati Verma, Kunal Singh* (2024) Chronological events unfolding the vegetative and floral phenology of apical bud in Crocus sativus. Protoplasma 262, 313–330. 

Biotic stress-Stress Biology

•         Namo Dubey, L. Mathan, Sidharth Patidar, & Kunal Singh* (2025) The StTNLC7G2T1 enhances resistance to biotic stress in Arabidopsis via pathogen triggered immunity. Physiol Mol Biol Plants. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-025-01681-4
•         Shreenivas Kumar Singh, Ankita Shree, Sandhya Verma, Kunal Singh, Kamal Kumar, Vikas Srivastava, Ritu Singh, Samiksha Saxena, Agam Prasad Singh, Ashutosh Pandey, Praveen Kumar Verma, (2023) The nuclear effector ArPEC25 from the necrotrophic fungus Ascochyta rabiei targets the chickpea transcription factor CaβLIM1a and negatively modulates lignin biosynthesis, increasing host susceptibility, The Plant Cell, Volume 35, Issue 3, March, Pages 1134–1159. Recognised under Nature Index-2023
•         Pooja Yadav, Kanchan Yadav, Anand Mishra, Kunal Singh* (2023). An assessment and analysis of diseases of economically important plant members of family Iridaceae. Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection. 131, 329–346
•         Dubey Namo, Chaudhary Anjali and Singh Kunal* (2022) Genome-Wide Analysis of TIR-NBS-LRR Gene Family in Potato Identified StTNLC7G2 Inducing Reactive Oxygen Species in Presence of Alternaria solani. Front. Genet. 12:791055.

Beneficial Microbes Characterisation

•         Tina Roy, Anjali Chaudhary, Anand Mishra, Sweta Arora, Ankita Kumari, Kunal Singh* (2025) Advancement in rhizospheric microbial diversity analysis: An updated perspective. Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 34-4
•         Anand Mishra, Pooja Yadav, Kunal Singh* (2024) Host response of Arabidopsis thaliana interaction with fungal endophytes involves microRNAs. Molecular Biotechnology, Feb 17:1-0 (IF-2.8)
•         Kanchan Yadav, Pooja Yadav, Kunal Singh* (2022) Microbial-Mediated Molecular Mechanisms to Cope Up Salinity and Drought Stress in Plants Book Microbial Based Land Restoration Handbook, Volume 2, 1st Edition

*Corresponding Author 

PhD Scholar

Ruben Ahlawat (UGC-JRF)

Noni Narula (CSIR-JRF)

Completed Ph.D.

Dr Namo Dubey (UGC-JRF; Currently Assistant Professor at VIT, Vellore)

Dr Anjali Chaudhary (CSIR-JRF)

Dr Pooja Yadav (UGC-JRF; Teaching)

Dr Kanchan Yadav (UGC-JRF; Currently Assistant Professor at Lucknow University, Lucknow)

Interested in joining the lab?

PhD vacancies available!

Passionate and motivated students with fellowships from CSIR/UGC/DBT-JRF/INSPIRE etc. can enquire for PhD position.

Fresh PhD pass out with interest in lab work will be facilitated for writing Post-Doc fellowship programmes.