Sunil Gangurde | Plant Molecular Biology | Young Scientist Award

Published on by Cell Biologist

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sunil Gangurde | Plant Molecular Biology | Young Scientist Award

Shandong Agricultural University | China

Sunil S. Gangurde is a maize and peanut molecular geneticist whose work integrates genomics, molecular breeding, and pathogen–host interaction studies to accelerate crop improvement. His research spans quantitative genetics, high-throughput genotyping, genomic selection, and pan-genomics, with applications in maize, peanut, and vegetable pathosystems. He has contributed significantly to dissecting complex traits related to biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, particularly resistance to Aspergillus flavus infection and heat stress in peanut. His projects include decoding genomic regions controlling pod shell and seed-coat–mediated resistance, developing a pan-genome of A. flavus to understand fungal diversity, and establishing genomic selection pipelines to enhance breeding efficiency. He has also worked on identifying susceptible growth stages in broccoli for improved disease management using fungicide-based strategies. Earlier work involved rapid generation advancement through single-seed high-throughput genotyping, enabling faster genetic gains in groundnut breeding programs. His contributions have been recognized through competitive grants and scientific awards, reflecting his role in developing innovative molecular tools and improving crop resilience. Across global research environments—including CGIAR centers, international universities, and multi-institutional collaborations—he continues to advance genomics-driven solutions for sustainable crop improvement.

Profiles: Google Scholar | Scopus

Featured Publications: 

Gangurde, S. S.*, Chenglai, W., Zhang, J., & Zhang, X. (2025). Divergent selection in moisture-responsive root-branching pathways between tropical and temperate maize germplasm. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology. (In press)

Gangurde, S. S., Asija, S., Bajaj, P., Fountain, J. C., Abbas, H. K., Holbrook, C. C., Kemerait, R. C., & Guo, B. (2025). Draft genome assemblies of 38 Aspergillus parasiticus isolates collected from South Georgia crop fields. Microbiology Resource Announcements, 12, e00083-25.

Shah, P., Gangurde, S. S., Senthil, R., Singam, P., Peerzada, O. H., Janila, P., Singh, K., Mayes, S., & Pandey, M. K. (2025). Identification of high blanchability donors, candidate genes, and markers in groundnut. BMC Plant Biology. (In press)

Mohinuddin, D. K., Gangurde, S. S., Khan, H., Bomireddy, D., Sharma, V., Shah, P., Sagar, U. N., Dube, N., Senthil, R., Tembhurne, B. V., & Nayak, V. H. (2025). Genomic analysis reveals the interplay between ABA-GA in determining dormancy duration in groundnut. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.

Gangurde, S. S.*, Kaur, N., Guo, B., & Dutta, B. (2025). Leaf epicuticular wax and hormone-mediated resistance to Alternaria brassicicola in broccoli. Physiologia Plantarum, 177(2), e70172.

Sahu, N., Naik, B., Padmavathi, G., Gangurde, S. S., Pandey, M., Bentur, J. S., & Divya, D. (2025). Identification of novel QTL associated with whitebacked planthopper (WBPH) and brown planthopper (BPH) resistance in the rice line RP2068. Gene, 149742.

Moghiya, A., Munghate, R. S., Sharma, V., Mishra, S. P., Jaba, J., Gaurav, S. S., Gangurde, S. S., & Pandey, M. K. (2025). Dissecting genomic regions and candidate genes for pod borer resistance and component traits in pigeonpea minicore collection. Frontiers in Plant Science, 16, 1630435.

Veerendrakumar, H. V., Sudini, H. K., Kiranmayee, B., Devika, T., Gangurde, S. S., Vasanthi, R. P., Kumar, A. N., Bera, S. K., Guo, B., Liao, B., & Varshney, R. K. (2025). Dissecting genomic regions, candidate genes, and pathways using multi-locus genome-wide association study for stem rot disease resistance in groundnut. The Plant Genome, 18(3), e70089.

Rangari, S. K., Dube, N., Sharma, V., Gangurde, S. S., Sharma, M., et al. (2025). InDels in an intronic region of gene Ccsmd04 coding for dormancy/auxin-associated protein control sterility mosaic disease resistance in pigeonpea. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 145777.

Roychowdhury, R., Das, S. P., Das, S., Biswas, S., Patel, M. K., Kumar, A., Sarker, U., Choudhary, S. P., Das, R., Yogendra, K., & Gangurde, S. S.* (2025). Advancing vegetable genetics with gene editing: A pathway to food security and nutritional resilience in climate-shifted environments. Functional & Integrative Genomics, 25(1), 1–32.

Josefina Patricia Fernandez Moreno | Plant Molecular Biology | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Cell Biologist

Dr. Josefina Patricia Fernandez Moreno | Plant Molecular Biology | Best Researcher Award

University of Cordoba | Spain

Dr. Josefina Patricia Fernández Moreno is a plant biologist and biotechnologist whose research focuses on crop improvement through molecular, physiological, and biochemical approaches. Her work explores the genetic and metabolic regulation of bioactive compounds and stress responses in plants. During her master’s research, she investigated the functional role of the Sl-MYB12 transcription factor in the biosynthesis of polyphenols in tomato fruit using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing, contributing to the understanding of secondary metabolism regulation. Her current collaborations involve elucidating the role of ethylene signaling, particularly the EIN3 transcription factor, in early nodulation processes of Medicago truncatula, aiming to improve nitrogen-fixing efficiency. Additionally, she contributes to a comprehensive review on glycine betaine’s multifaceted roles in plant defense, emphasizing its influence on abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in crops. Beyond her academic contributions, she has applied her expertise in biotechnology as an adviser for an agricultural start-up focused on in-vitro culture and specialized metabolite production. Her research integrates molecular biology, plant physiology, and biotechnology to develop sustainable strategies for enhancing crop resilience and productivity under environmental stress conditions.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications:

Fernandez-Moreno, J.-P., Yaschenko, A. E., Fenech-Torres, M., Zhao, C., Neubauer, M., Brumos, J., Davis, H., Marchi, A. J., Concannon, R., Keren, A., Levitsky, V., Ascencio-Ibanez, J. T., Goldshmidt, A., Zemlyanskaya, E., Alonso, J. M., & Stepanova, A. N. (2025). EBSnew, a robust synthetic reporter for monitoring ethylene responses in plants. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 0, 1–19. Müller, S., Stegmann, T., Adema, K., Holmer, R., van Seters, A., van Velzen, R., Kulikova, O., Wijsman, T., Klein, J., Fernandez-Moreno, J.-P., Stepanova, A. N., Alonso, J. M., Franssen, H., Larrainzar, E., van Zeijl, A., & Kohlen, W. (2025). Spatiotemporal dynamics of ethylene biosynthesis shape infection and nodule initiation in Medicago truncatula. Plant Cell. (Submitted).

Balakireva, A. V., Karataeva, T. A., Karampelias, M., Mitiouchkina, T. Y., Morozov, V. V., Macháček, J., Shakhova, E. S., Perfilov, M. M., Belozerova, O. A., Palkina, K. A., Drazna, N., Vondrakova, Z., Kalachova, T., Fleiss, A., Fernandez-Moreno, J.-P., Alonso, J. M., Stepanova, A. N., Fakhranurova, L. I., Markina, N. M., … Sarkisyan, K. S. (2025). Non-invasive imaging of salicylic and jasmonic acid activities in planta. Nature Communications. (Submitted).

Biswal, A. K., Banasiak, A., Fernandez-Moreno, J.-P., Mitra, M., Harholt, J., Derba-Maceluch, M., Majda, M., Kushwah, S., Kumar, V., Abreu, I., Sivan, P., Pattathil, S., Immerzeel, P., Gorzsás, A., Moritz, T., Hahn, M. G., Scheller, H. V., Aharoni, A., & Mellerowicz, E. J. (2025).* Cuticle deposition in the leaf epidermal cells depends on integrity of homogalacturonan. iScience, 25, 113963.

Fernandez-Moreno, J.-P., Yaschenko, A. E., Neubauer, M., Marchi, A. J., Zhao, C., Alonso, J. M., & Stepanova, A. N. (2024). A rapid and scalable approach to build synthetic repetitive hormone-responsive promoters.