Parveen Chhuneja

Background

I have always been inspired by Parveen Chhuneja who is the Director of the School of Agricultural Biotechnology at Punjab Agricultural University in India. Parveen is an excellent scientist and leader as well as being a wonderful person. I started collaborating with Parveen many years ago as part of a UK-India initiative on improving nitrogen use in wheat in northern India. For many years we worked together and enjoyed several visits and research exchanges. Parveen has always encouraged and supported her colleagues and team members to grasp new opportunities and is a real champion for early- and mid-career researchers. As testament to this she was awarded the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative 2022 Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum Mentor award

Briefly describe what you do?

I am wheat geneticist turned molecular biologist and now the Principal Molecular Geneticist at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, India. I presently work as the Director of School of Agricultural Biotechnology which has a faculty of 16 regular scientists, about 25 research scholars working in ad-hoc research projects and ~40 post-graduate students at any given time. We have research projects on field, vegetable and fruit crops including wheat, rice, maize, okra, bitter gourd, potato, citrus, guava, and more.

Why did you get into research, and crop science in particular?

I grew up in a small town called Faridkot in the state of Punjab. I had my schooling in a Hindi medium school and went to college for my undergraduate in Biological Sciences. The more I studied, the more my interest in biology grew. During my Masters, I got really interested in Genetics and Cytogenetics and then pursued my Ph.D. in Genetics at PAU, Ludhiana. When I started working on my Ph.D. research on induction of male sterility through mutagenesis in wheat in the late eighties, I realized that crop science would be my passion for the rest of my life. Except a very brief stint in Brassica, for all my professional career, I have worked on wheat and this is still continuing.

Rapid fire questions

Lab or field?

Both!

Conference or stakeholder meeting?

Conference.

Literature review or project report?

Literature review.

Conventional or molecular methods?

Molecular methods to supplement conventional methods.

Hybrid, inbred or vegetative?

Inbred.

Qualitive or quantitative research?

Both.

GenStat or R?

Neither.

Favourite crop & why?

Wheat because it was a key crop in bringing the green revolution in India and a mainstay crop for my state and state farmers.

What do you love the most about your job?

It is the feeling that I am doing something positive for society, howsoever small my contribution might be.

Who has influenced you the most and why?

My mentor, Dr Harcharan Singh Dhaliwal. He taught me to appreciate the value of wild germplasm and potentials therein.

What is your favourite aspect of your research?

Seeing the expression of alien genes in wheat cultivars, be it for disease resistance, quality, or productivity.

What would make your research and crop science experience even better?

Easier access to affordable advanced technologies and free flow of germplasm.

What is the best career decision you ever made and why?

Joining an Agricultural University and working on wheat improvement. It gives me a lot of satisfaction that I could, inter-alia, contribute shaping up the career of several young researchers in crop science.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Retired and content with my life.

Beach or mountain?

Beach.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee.

Appetizer or dessert?

Dessert always!

Instagram or Twitter?

Twitter for knowledge, Instagram for fun.

Fame or fortune?

A little of both.

Final word by Alison Bentley