Department of Botany

Dr. Saloni Bahri completed her  Ph.D. in 2000 with specialization in Plant Tissue Culture from the Department of Botany, University of Delhi. She joined Miranda House in 2006 and has been teaching courses on reproductive biology of angiosperms, microbiology, cell biology, plant metabolism, economic botany, plant biodiversity, and biology. She has been a PI/Co-PI for three DU Innovation Projects and one DU Star Innovation Project. She is a recipient of Australian Leadership Award Fellow(ALAF) in 2013. She has been a facilitator and mentor for a variety of summer internship research projects carried out under the aegis of the D.S. Kothari Centre, Miranda House. She was a department coordinator for DBT Star College Scheme. She has been a resource person for several workshops including those organized for INSPIRE, DU Innovation Projects and others. She has also been the convener/coordinator for many capacity building workshops organized for faculty and undergraduate students. She was also the convener for an online short-term course on “Understanding Our Environment” in 2020. She has presented papers and posters in several National and International conferences, workshops, and symposia. She has authored and co-authored many chapters in books and research papers in journals of repute. She has also contributed to the development of e-content for NCERT text books on Biology.

Dr. Rashmi Shakya joined Miranda House in September 2006 as permanent faculty in the Department of Botany. She earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Botany, University of Delhi in 2009. She was awarded a fellowship under the prestigious Faculty Development Program sponsored by the University of Delhi in 2012 to do a Master in Systems and Synthetic Biology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. She received international travel grants from UGC and INSA to present her research work in international conferences held abroad.  Recently, she was awarded SERB International Research Experience Award 2022 from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for a Research Project in Valencia, Spain. She has published Fifteen research articles in journals of international repute. She has ten book chapters and four e-lessons to her credit. She teaches Plant Physiology, Biochemistry, Metabolism and Bioinformatics. She has coordinated one add-on certificate course and one short-term online course on Bioinformatics for undergraduate students. She has mentored several undergraduate students in the summer internship program under the aegis of DSKC. She has actively organized various workshops, seminars, webinars, and training programs for students and teachers in various capacities. She is also associated with reviewing the e-content for undergraduate level in microbiology and Bioinformatics at Consortium for Educational Consortium CEC, IUAC, New Delhi.   

Dr. Elangbam Geetanjali has been a student of Miranda House during B.Sc. (2004) and M.Sc. (2006). She was awarded ‘Science Meritorious Award’ in B.Sc. She obtained her Ph.D. (Botany) in 2013 from University of Delhi with specialization on ‘Carbon Sequestration by Algae’. During her Ph.D., she was a fellow of DST-funded JRF, later promoted to SRF. She then worked as an Assistant Professor (Ad-hoc) in Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi from 2012-13. Before joining the Department in 2015 as a permanent faculty, she was working as a Scientist-B at Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, an Autonomous Institute under Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, Takyelpat, Imphal, Manipur. She is the Co-Project Director in the project “Ecological, Agricultural and Livelihood Sustainability: An Integrated Rural Development Study of Loktak Lake Manipur” funded by Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education (MGNCRE) Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. She has mentored undergraduate students during summer internship program offered by DSKC. Dr. Geetanjali has been teaching courses on Microbiology and Phycology, Mycology and Phytopathology, Biodiversity, Intellectual Property Rights and Biofertilizers. She had participated in several workshops, training programs and conferences. She was also the resource person for several workshops and associated with North-East Society of the college. She is a lifetime member of Indian Phycological Society. She has nine publications, ten poster presentations to her credit. 

 

Dr. Deepali received her Ph.D. in Botany from Centre for Advance Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University. Varanasi, in 2009 with specialization on ‘Isolation and Structural Elucidation of Biomolecules’. She is recipient of CSIR Junior Research Fellowship (2002) and Senior Research Fellowship (2005). She worked as a post-doctoral scholar from 2009-2010, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad.  From 2010-2015 she worked as an assistant professor (Ad- hoc) in Department of Botany, Srivenkateswara college, University of Delhi. She has been associated with Miranda House since 2015 as a permanent faculty in Department of Botany. Along with teaching she is also involved in research projects, summer internship program offered by DSKC. She has supervised one Ph.D. student as a co-guide in the area of bioremediation. She has been PI/Co-PI for two DU Innovation Projects and Co-Project Director in the project “Ecological, Agricultural and Livelihood Sustainability: An Integrated Rural Development Study of Loktak Lake Manipur” funded by Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education (MGNCRE) Department of Higher Education, MHRD,Government of India. She is credited with ten research articles in International Journals of repute and three chapters in book. She has been involved in organization of various workshops, seminars, webinars, training programs for students and teachers in various capacities and also the resource person for several workshops. She is teaching courses on Biomolecules, Cell biology, Molecular Biology, Biofertilizer for undergraduate students and working with various societies of the college.

M.Sc., B.Ed., M.Phil., Ph.D. (University of Delhi)

Dr. Renuka Agrawal graduated from Miranda House with B.Sc. (Hons.) in Botany (2000). She received her M.Sc. in Botany from University of Delhi in 2002 and B.Ed. in 2004 from Department of Education (C.I.E.). Subsequently she completed her M.Phil. (2005), and Ph.D. (2011) in Botany with specialization in Molecular Biology and Molecular Cytogenetics from University of Delhi. She has received CSIR Junior and Senior Research Fellowships during her Ph.D. She was invited by Tottori University, Japan as a Visiting Researcher (2008-2009). She has published four research articles, one review article in peer reviewed indexed international journals of repute and two book chapters. She joined the Department of Botany, Miranda House in July 2010. She has been teaching papers on cell and molecular biology, genetics, plant biotechnology, analytical techniques in plant sciences, bioinformatics and economic botany.

Dr. Somdutta Sinha Roy   M.Sc., Ph.D. (Delhi)

Dr. Sinha Roy graduated from Gargi College in 1992 with a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Botany and subsequently did her M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the Department of Botany, University of Delhi. Towards her Ph.D. dissertation, Dr. Sinha Roy investigated the root biology of grasses and worked extensively on the biochemical properties of root mucilages, particularly of species in the arid region. In 2002, Dr. Sinha Roy joined the Department of Biochemistry at Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, USA, for her postdoctoral work. She has worked extensively on the effect of pollutants on lung and breast cancer development with a focus on membrane phospholipid biosynthesis and vitamin A metabolism. Before coming back to India, Dr. Sinha Roy worked as a senior postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She has twenty-five peer-reviewed research publications and five book chapters. She joined Miranda House in January 2014. Since then, she has been teaching courses on Plant Physiology and Metabolism, Ecology, Plant Systematics, and Biostatistics. Dr. Sinha Roy has been actively involved in student research projects under DSKC and other research initiatives in the college.

<p>Dr. Laishram Sundari Devi graduated from Miranda House 2011. She pursued her M.Sc. 2013 and Ph.D. 2021 degrees from the Department of Botany, University of Delhi. During her Ph.D., she was a fellow of UGC-funded JRF, later promoted to SRF. She was also selected as Indo-U.S. GETin Intern 2017 under Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum, funded by DBT, Govt. of India and worked on the “Development of CRISPR interference vector for a Polycomb gene CcEZ1 isolated from apomictic Cenchrus ciliaris L.” under the supervision of Prof. Jian-Kang Zhu at Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, USA. She has research articles and book chapters to her credit. She is a lifetime member of the Delhi University Botanical Society.</p>

M.Sc., MCA, Ph.D., PDF

Dr. Veena Beri graduated from S.G.T.B Khalsa College, University of Delhi, in 1999. She secured first position in the college. She did her M.Sc. Botany (2001) and subsequently Ph.D (2008) with specialization in “Survey for Inhibitors and Activators of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Trypsin in Plant Extracts” from the Department of Botany, University of Delhi. She did her MCA in 2004. She is recipient of CSIR Junior Research Fellowship (2001-03) and Senior Research Fellowship (2003-06). She did her Post Doctorate (Enzyme Kinetics) from Department of Neurosciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA (2010-12) where she worked on  “Mechanistic Approach of AChE” and “New Inhibitors of AChE that Block Organophosphate Poisoning” funded by Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). She has been working as ad-hoc lecturer since 2007 and has worked at St. Stephen’s College, SACE, Maitreyi College, Gargi College and Dyal Singh College. She joined Miranda House in 2016 and has been teaching course of Analytical Techniques in Plant Sciences, Cell Biology: Organelles and Biomolecules, Developmental Biology of Angiosperms, Ecology and Conservation, Ecology and Evolution, Hydroponics and Aeroponic Farming (SEC), Industrial and Environmental Microbiology (DSE), Organic Farming (SEC), Plant Cell and Developmental Biology, Plant Diversity and Evolution, Plant Diversity and Systematics, Plant Physiology, Science and Society (VAC), Swachh Bharat (VAC) and has also been on local educational visits. She has been with D.S. Kothari Centre for Research and Innovation in Science Education, Miranda House, as a mentor for summer interns since 2023. Dr. Beri has been a Co-Project Investigator in the multidisciplinary research project entitled "To explore the phytoremediation potential of some hydrophytes with special focus on Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. (R&D-13/2024)" funded by Miranda House, 2024. She has been associated with INSPIRE internship  programmes (2017-19, 21, 23) and several other workshops (organized at the Miranda House) as a resource person. She has four research publications in peer reviewed  journals of international repute. She received International Travel Grants from UGC and DBT to present her research work in several International conferences (9) held abroad for oral presentations (5) and poster presentations (3). She was also associated with reviewing the e-content for undergraduate level in Botany and allied subjects at Consortium for Educational Communications (CEC), IUAC Campus, New Delhi (2017-19).

Dr. Shivangi Shah received her Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Delhi, focusing on enhancing omega-3 fatty acid production in microalgae. During her Ph.D., she was a fellow of DST-funded JRF, later promoted to SRF. She is a recipient of the prestigious INSPIRE Fellowship. She is a gold medalist from Kurukshetra University with an M.Sc. in Botany and has a distinguished academic record, including a B.Sc. in Botany from the University of Delhi and a B.Ed. She is skilled in algae culture and molecular biology and is active in academic societies and workshops. She is a lifetime member of the Delhi University Botanical Society and joined Miranda House in September 2022. Along with teaching, She has mentored undergraduate students during the summer internship program offered by DSKC in 2023 and 2024.

Dr. Dharmendra Kumar,  M.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D., University Of Delhi

UGC SRF, CSIR-UGC NET-JRF 2, GATE, ARS NET 2, DBT-IBSD JRF

Dr. Dharmendra Kumar graduated with a B.Sc. Hons. in Botany from Deshbandhu College and later completed his M.Sc., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from the Department of Botany, University of Delhi. He also served as the vice president of the Delhi University Botanical Society (DUBS), 2021-2023. He travelled extensively across Indian coastal regions and river ecosystems, including Rameswaram, Dhanushkodi, Kanyakumari, Pudumadam, Pamban, Chilika Lake, and Yamuna River, where he conducted field surveys for his research. Dr. Kumar has an extensive academic and research portfolio focusing on phycoremediation, environmental contamination, seaweed metabolomics, and algal studies, with notable contributions in prestigious journals. He has published more than 10 research papers in reputed international journals with high impact factors. He received the National Award for outstanding contributions to waste management at the National Conference on Restoring River Health: Yamuna as a Model System, organized by DUBS and the Indian Phycological Society in September 2025. He has organized and actively participated in various conferences, workshops, and training programs. He has presented award-winning posters and oral presentations at national and international conferences, including Best Poster Awards at the “National Conference on Blue Economy,” Feb 2023, KIIT Odisha; the “National Conference on Urban Waste Management and Sustainable Solutions,” Mar 3–4, 2025, Dept. of Botany, University of Delhi, Nature Care Sustainability Award 2025 and the Best Oral Presentation Award at the “International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research & Practices,” Dec 2023, Agra. He is a lifetime member of the Indian Phycological Society.

Dr Rashmi Kapoor Mehrotra graduated from Sri Venkateshwara College, University of Delhi in 2005. She subsequently completed her M.Sc. Botany (2007) and Ph.D. Botany (2014) from Jamia Hamdard University, with specialization in Plant Tissue Culture.

During her doctoral research, she worked extensively on establishing and optimizing tissue cultures of Allium sativum L. (garlic), with particular focus on impact of varying concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators on organogenesis, somatic embryogenesis and associated biochemical aspects. Her research also explored the impact of selenium treatment, gamma irradiation as well as salinity stress on in vitro cultures of garlic. The impact of abiotic stress on production of bioactive compound (alliin) assessed using HPTLC indicated development of garlic varieties with higher medicinal and nutritive attributes. Additionally, during her Ph.D., she also contributed to the research on antidiabetic potential of garlic leaf extract on alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

Dr Rashmi has nine peer-reviewed research papers in reputed international journals with high impact factors to her credit. She also holds a B.Ed. (2008) degree from G.G.S. Indraprastha University. During her doctoral tenure, she mentored three M.Sc. research trainees, guiding them in their dissertation work on garlic tissue culture. She joined Miranda House in August’ 2025.