Dr (Mrs) Parveen Chhuneja, Senior Molecular Geneticist took over as Director of the School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, on September 19, 2016. After four years she was selected for the second term of Director of the School of Agricultural Biotechnology.

Dr Chhuneja has a brilliant and an outstanding academic record and professional career in the discipline of Biotechnology. Dr Chhuneja who hails from Faridkot had her Bachelor and Master’s degree from Punjabi University in high first class and Ph.D. in Genetics with specialization in Wheat Cytogenetics from the PAU with an OGPA of 4.00/4.00. Dr Chhuneja is fellow of two prestigious science academies National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and National Science Academy, India (NASI). She is recipient of international awards Women in Triticum Mentor Award-2022 and Gene Stewardship Team Award-2018 by Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Outstanding Women Scientist Award 2018 by ICAR, New Delhi, PAU Merit & Plaque as Best Researcher, and Dr G.S. Khush Distinguished Professor Award-2016-2019.

Dr Chhuneja has transferred a number of new genes from wild species to cultivated wheat which have been mobilised to elite wheat backgrounds for diversifying the breeder’s germplasm base. Five of these genes have been designated as Yr40, Yr70, Lr57, Lr58 and Lr76 and included in Wheat Gene Catalogue. She along with her team has been maintaining and utilising the largest collection of wild species of wheat among all the National Institutes and SAUs. This has led to the award of several National and International research and development grants.

Dr Chhuneja and her team has developed molecular markers for marker assisted selection of a number of disease resistance genes which are being used in the Wheat Breeding Programme. She has contributed to the development of nine wheat varieties developed through marker assisted selection and carrying the genes identified from the wild wheat germplasm by her team in PAU wild hybridization programme.

She has published 150 papers in the journals of International and National repute with more than 8000 citations and h-index of 33 and i-10 index of 74. She has authored four practical manuals for various Biotechnology Courses and has written nine book chapters. She is on the reviewing panel of several National and International Journals.

Dr Parveen Chhuneja has worked as visiting scientist at Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Zurich, Switzerland and John Innes Centre, UK. She has wide international exposure for she has visited nine countries for participation in workshops/meetings of research projects and/or advanced trainings in Biotechnology.

She has supervised 20 post-graduate students and some of her students are working as doctoral and post-doctoral fellows in International institutes of repute. She has been very actively involved in development and deliverance of the Biotechnology teaching programme at the university. She has been very actively involved in development and deliverance of the Biotechnology teaching programme at the university. She was actively involved in developing Biotechnology curriculum for B.Tech., M.Sc. and Ph.D. Biotechnology at the National level.

She has handled 20 competitive research projects as principal investigator, out of which seven have been international network projects. She had also been the co-principal investigator of the prestigious international Wheat Genome Sequencing project and leading DBT Centre of Excellence project as Project Coordinator.