3 PAU biotechnology students to pursue PhD at Australian, USA universities

NEW DELHI: Three students who have completed master’s degrees from the School of Agricultural Biotechnology of PAU have been selected for PhD programmes in universities based in the United States of America (USA) and Australia.

The students who have brought laurels to the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) are Hitashi Aggarwal, Sehgeet Kaur and Gaganjeet.

Aggarwal has got admission at Murdoch University, Australia while Kaur and Gaganjeet will pursue their PhD at Virginia Tech University, USA and Clemson Pee Dee Research and Education Centre, USA, respectively. Their doctoral studies will be fully funded by the universities.

During the doctoral studies, Aggarwal will work on genome editing for yield-related traits in wheat. She will be working under Rajeev Varshney, director of the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation at Murdoch University. Kaur will be working under the guidance of Borris Vinatzer, professor at the School of Plant and Environmental Science, Virginia Tech University. Gaganjeet will be carrying out research under the guidance of Sachin Rustgi, associate professor at the Plant and Environmental Science Department, Clemson Pee Dee Research and Education Centre.

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PAU vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal and dean postgraduate studies Pardeep Kumar Chhuneja congratulated the students and urged them to work diligently to have a successful career.

Parveen Chhuneja, director of the School of Agricultural Biotechnology said the three students had completed MSc Biotechnology from the same batch. The faculty members of the programme made exhaustive efforts in providing training to the students in the latest techniques and tools which enabled them to secure admissions and positions in the prestigious international and national institutions, he added.