Ludhiana, Dec 9 2024 (Yes Punjab News)
Two agronomists and one student of the Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), have brought laurels to the University during the ISWS Biennial Conference “Climate-smart Weed Management for Global Food Security,” held at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, from November 28-30.
Dr Gulshan Mahajan (retd.) has been conferred with “ISWS Gold Medal-2023,” while Dr Simerjeet Kaur has been awarded “ISWS Fellow Award-2023.” A Ph.D scholar Pankaj Bhaskarrao Ghodke has earned “Student Travel Grant Award.”
Dr Mahajan has been well-groomed by his mentor, a renowned weed scientist Dr LS Brar. Having served at PAU from 2000 to 2024, Dr Mahajan has 159 publications (h-index 38, >7,500 citations) to his credit.
He is also a recipient of Fellowships from the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Indian Society of Weed Science, and the Indian Society of Agronomy.
Dr Simerjeet Kaur, Principal Agronomist, has published 74 research articles (including 25 with impact factor, >6.0 NAAS rating), five books/manuals, eight book chapters and co-edited 16 books/bulletins.
She is also a recipient of ‘PAU Appreciation Certificate’ and ISA Fellow Award. Besides, she is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Indian Journal of Agronomy and Associate Editor of Crop Science (Crop Science Society of America), Indian Journal of Weed Science, Journal of Agricultural Science Cambridge and Frontiers in Agronomy journals.
Ghodke, a third-year Ph.D. scholar under the guidance of Dr Tarundeep Kaur, has been awarded the prestigious ‘Student Travel Grant Award’.
The award included travel fare reimbursement and a waiver of the conference fee. Recently, he has enhanced his academic profile by completing a four-month research stint as a visiting student at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), University of Queensland, Australia.
The PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal; Director of Research Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt; Dean of Postgraduate Studies Dr Manav Indra Singh Gill; and Head, Department of Agronomy Dr Hari Ram congratulated all the awardees for bringing recognition to the University with their remarkable works.
