Latha Rangan

Biography:

Dr Latha Rangan is currently Professor at the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. She obtained her PhD in 2001 and had post-doctoral stints on rice transformation in United Kingdom. Her main focus of research has been on in areas of Applied Biodiversity with special reference to bioresources of Northeast India using an integrative approach. Prof. Rangan has been successful in combining the old with the new, because nature is our prototype. The work has laid foundation for new ways to detect, authenticate, protect and exploit biodiversity, for instance as resource for sustainable agriculture taking the case of the useful medicinal plants. In brief applied biodiversity research has helped in tapping bioresources from wilderness to mining ‘OMICS’. She has published over 90 articles as scientific papers, book chapters, conference proceedings and reviews. She is an Elected Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, India and recipient of awards such as Prof Hiralal Chakravarty Award of Indian Science Congress, Women Scientist Award of Biotech Research Society of India, Young Scientist Award of Society for Chemist and Biologist and Dr J N Baruah Science Award for her significant contributions in are of Plant Sciences.