DR. SEEMA WAHAB
Dr. Seema Wahab, Former Advisor, and Senior Consultant, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India is a biotechnologist involved in the promotion of research and development for Sustainable Agriculture and coordinating various programs in the area of Agricultural biotechnology and Basic Research in Modern Biology. Her contribution towards the development of biopesticide technologies in the country, it’s validation through large scale demonstrations suited to different agro-climatic zones and their large scale adoption by the farmers is a pioneering step towards the promotion of IPM concept for Sustainable Agriculture. She had also coordinated a major program in the area of Animal Biotechnology during the year 2002-2007. Through her involvement and contribution, several initiatives were taken for the improvement of animal health care and animal productivity in the areas of vaccine development, disease diagnostics, transgenic, animal reproduction, nutrition, byproduct development and genomics, etc. A number of programs in frontier areas were also generated. Several basic research projects in modern biology were initiated and supported for understanding the intricacies involved in applied research. Through this programme, the scientists involved in new and fast emerging areas are being promoted in the country.
Dr. Wahab after obtaining her M.Sc., Ph.D from Lucknow University was awarded several prestigious national (PDF, RA and Pool Officer at CDRI) and international Post-doctoral Fellowships and worked in various institutes of international repute viz Forschungs Fur Experimentelle Biologie Und Medizin, Borstel, Germany; Institute Pasteur - Paris, France and National Institute of Health-Maryland, USA. Besides having over nineteen years of experience as a scientific administrator, she has research experience of twenty years as an active scientist in India and abroad. Her extensive research experience is in the area of Microbiology, Medical Mycology, Fungal Immunology, and Biotechnology. As a Science Manager, she was an AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development) awardee nominated by Govt. of India and had undergone training on Management of Biotechnology and Agricultural Research at the University of New England, Australia. Besides proficiency in French from Lucknow Univ., she had also acquired Diploma in French Language from Centre Audio-Visuel de Langues Modernes (CAVILAM), Vichy, France. She was selected for a specialized course in Medical Mycology and immunology organized by the Institut Pasteur, Paris and awarded a Diploma in this specific field.
She is a recipient of several national awards and honours like Distinguished Achievement Award (1998) for outstanding contribution and valuable services in the field of Pest Management, Honorary Fellowship award (1999), Dr. M.R Siddiqui Gold Medal (2002) for outstanding contribution in the field of Biotechnology, Science Promoter Award (2003) for the Promotion of Science in the country, and Raghunathi Medal (2004) for her outstanding contribution in the field of Agricultural Biotechnology. She is an elected Fellow of Society of Biosciences for her outstanding contribution in biological sciences. A new species of EPN called Steinernema seemae sp. n. has been named after her as a token of honor as well as recognition to her achievements. Recently, she has been awarded the “Life Time Achievement Award 2008” for her excellent contribution and performance in Biotechnology.