I have a PhD Degree in Genetics from Delhi University alongside extensive research experience over the past 17 years focused on Molecular Microbiology, Microbial Physiology and Genomics to support thematic areas of Agriculture and Environment Sustainability. My research work over the last decade has concentrated on molecular and functional analysis of plant growth regulators crosstalk in the plant-associated bacterium, Azospirillum brasilense. We showed for the first time that nitric oxide metabolism in bacteria has effect on the auxin, IAA biosynthesis, indicating a crosstalk of 2 important bacterial signaling molecules for the first time in bacteria. Since then, I have been independently handling research projects in TERI’s Sustainable Agriculture Division. I have used electron/atomic force microscopy, bioinformatics tools and biochemical techniques to conclude that type IV pili produced by cyanobacteria are electrically conductive in nature (nanowires) with capability to interact with metals like arsenic and also recently identified a new type of conductive pili in Nostoc. We have also designed novel water soluble, nanoformulations effective as insect growth regulators against commercially important pests. In line with my research interests in the field of Plant-Microbe Interactions, my group is studying novel, small regulatory molecules from Azospirillum that may play a specific role in bacterial stress response or be implicated in plant-microbe interactions using genomics, transcriptomics and functional assays. We are also extremely intrigued by the functional processes involved in bacterial strains capable of forming cross-kingdom biofilms in nature to develop sustainable agriculture solutions and reduce chemical fertilizer usage by farmers. I have also been involved in the TERI - Deakin University joint PhD program as PhD supervisor since 2012 and have completed mentoring of 3 PhD students till date. My current research interests lie in developing microbial bioproducts from biofilms, regulation of plant-microbe interactions through biofilms andmicrobiome diversity, using microbial genomics/transcriptomics and functional assays.