PAU Biotechnology Student secures job in multinational corporation

Ludhiana, January 15, 2024: Bukke Kutti Bai, a Ph.D. student from the School of Agricultural Biotechnology (SAB), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), has been selected as a Project Scientist (Associate Solution Leader) at Brane Enterprises Private Limited, a Multinational Corporation, at an annual package of Rs 10.0 lakh. She will be working at Brane Enterprises’ Darwin Centre in Hyderabad with a focus on applied and basic research in biodiversity. At this position, Bai will be involved in conception and execution of pivotal research projects.

The focus of her Ph.D. research revolved around combating rust diseases in wheat, a pressing threat to wheat crop in North-Western Plain Zone of India. Under the mentorship of Dr Satinder Kaur, she meticulously characterised and mapped novel leaf rust and stripe rust resistance genes, introgressed from the wheat wild relatives. Using advanced genomic tools, she identified closely linked SNP markers for facilitating rapid introgression of these genes into wheat varieties. These novel genes will provide durable resistance from rust pathogens. The expertise gained by Ms Kutti in handling wheat crop and cutting-edge biotechnological tools was instrumental in securing this position.

Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, Vice-Chancellor of PAU, congratulated Ms Bai and wished her triumph in all her forthcoming endeavours.

Dr MIS Gill, Dean of Postgraduate Studies, commended Ms Bai for securing this job in a renowned organisation.

Dr Parveen Chhuneja, Director, SAB, shared that the School has highly competent faculty and state-of-the-art facilities dedicated towards cutting-edge research on genomics assisted crop breeding, which provided Master’s and Doctorate students opportunities for acquiring excellent skills for advanced research and pursuing career in national as well as international organisations.