Biographical note

Dr.V.K. Sharma has a Ph.D. in Botany from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P., India. He has more than eleven years of research experience, particularly in the area of endophytes. His research interest is in the bio-potential applications of endophytes and their mechanism. He also has a keen interest in emerging environmental issues and mitigation. He is currently working on the role of fungal endophytes in heavy metal stress tolerance of host plants, and mechanism. Dr. Sharma has more than thirty research articles and book chapters in journals of national and international repute to his credit. He is lifetime member of Mycological Society of India (MSI). He is also the recipient of MJ Thirumalachar Young Scientist Award Lectures by MSI in 2016. He also received Yunnan provincial government funding-II. He has also actively participated in many national and international conferences, symposia and workshops related to his research field Dr. Ajay Kumar is currently working as an assistant professor at Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, India. Dr. Kumar completed his tenure (2018-2022) as a visiting scientist from Agriculture Research Organization, Volcani Center, Israel and doctoral research from Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India on the theme "Plant microbe interaction". In his research tenures, Dr. Kumar has published more than 235 scientific contributions in the form of research and review articles, books or book chapters with the leading International Journals or Publishers. He has wide area of research experience, especially in the field of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Microbial biocontrol, Postharvest management of fruits, Microbial endophytes related with the medicinal plants and cyanobacteria-pesticides interactions. Dr. Kumar actively engaged in editing book with the leading publisher like Elsevier, Springer, CRC Press, Willey and edited more than 48 books and currently serving as an Associate editor in Frontier in Microbiology, BMC Microbiology and special guest editor in Microorganisms or Plants MDPI, Journal. Dr. Parmar has a Ph.D. in Environment Science from from Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India. She has more than eight years of research experience, particularly in the area of toxic metal pollution of water bodies and soil, their phytoremediation, bio-prospects of endophytes in host plant growth enhancement and stress tolerance, and the mechanism. She has about 12 publications in journals and edited book of international repute such as Microbial Biotechnology and Elsevier. Recently she was awarded by the Yunnan provincial government, funding-II in China. Dr. Vipin Kumar Singh is currently working as CSIR Research Associate in the Department of Botany, Centre of Advanced Study, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Botany from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India in the year 2015. He has worked in the UGC project entitled “Detoxification of arsenic contaminated groundwater by transgenic eco-friendly microbes.” He has more than nine years of research experience in the area of groundwater hydro-geochemistry and bioremediation approaches to clean the contaminated groundwater sites. His area of interest includes the use of fast-growing plants and microbes to clean the contaminated soil and water system. Dr. Singh has published eight book chapters, twenty-one research articles in journals of national and international repute. He is a life time member of Indian Association of Hydrologists (IAH) and Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI). Currently, he is the member of editorial board in Indian Journal of Microbiology research and Water open access journal. So far, he has reviewed more than dozens of research articles and book chapters of international repute. He has actively participated in many national and international seminars, symposia, conferences and workshop related to the application of microbes in the management of contaminated sites.