Tue Nov 19 18:45:21 UTC 2024: ## Indian Agricultural Scientist Elected Fellow of World Academy of Sciences

**Chennai, November 20, 2024** – Renowned agricultural scientist K.C. Bansal has been elected as a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), effective January 1, 2025. The honor recognizes Professor Bansal’s significant contributions to science and its advancement in developing countries.

Professor Bansal, currently an Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University in Australia, has a distinguished career including roles at the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Alliance of Bioversity International and International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, and TERI-Deakin Nano-Biotechnology Centre.

His research focuses on understanding and improving crop resilience to abiotic stress (like drought and extreme temperatures). Professor Bansal has identified and cloned genes from various crops, including wheat, rice, and mustard, that enhance tolerance to these stresses. He utilized advanced techniques like functional genomics, transcriptomics, and genome-wide analysis to achieve this. Furthermore, his work includes utilizing geo-referencing tools to identify climate analogues in crops such as pearl millet, chickpea, pigeon pea, and sorghum, aiding in climate change adaptation strategies.

TWAS President Quarraisha Abdool Karim expressed congratulations in a letter to Professor Bansal, highlighting the significance of his election.

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