SRINAGAR: Two researchers from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) have been awarded the prestigious Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) National Post-Doctoral Fellowships, securing support for advanced research in crop disease resistance and next-generation diabetic wound care.
The fellowships, regarded among India’s most competitive funding programmes for early-career researchers, have been awarded to Dr Aasiya Nabi and Dr Sofi Imtiyaz Ali for research spanning plant pathology and regenerative medicine, underscoring the university’s expanding research profile in agricultural and biomedical sciences.
Dr Aasiya Nabi, an alumna of the Division of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Horticulture, and a former Nehru-Fulbright Doctoral Fellow at Kansas State University in the United States, has received the fellowship for her project titled “Dissection of Race-Specific Resistance in the Phaseolus vulgaris–Colletotrichum lindemuthianum Pathosystem: Insights from Race 73 and Co-12 Interaction.”
Having completed her Master’s and PhD at SKUAST-K under the supervision of Professor Bilal A Padder, she will investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying bean anthracnose resistance. The research aims to identify race-73-specific effector proteins and validate their interaction with the Co-12 resistance gene, findings that could contribute to the development of disease-resistant bean varieties.
In the biomedical sciences, Dr Sofi Imtiyaz Ali has secured the two-year ANRF fellowship under the mentorship of Dr Showkat Ul Nabi, Deputy Director Research at SKUAST-K, for a project titled “Smart Bioactive Wound Dressing Engineered from Earthworm Granulation Scaffold and Multifunctional Therapeutic Cocktail for Diabetic Ulcer Healing.”
The research seeks to develop an indigenous bioengineered wound dressing by combining an earthworm-derived tissue scaffold with multifunctional therapeutic agents. The proposed technology is expected to promote tissue regeneration, prevent infections and offer a cost-effective, clinically scalable treatment for chronic diabetic wounds.
Congratulating the researchers and their mentors, SKUAST-K Vice Chancellor Professor Nazir Ahmad Ganai said the twin achievement reflected the university’s growing national stature in scientific research and innovation.
“Securing two prestigious ANRF National Post-Doctoral Fellowships across distinct scientific disciplines reflects SKUAST-K’s growing national prominence and our commitment to nurturing talent capable of solving complex challenges in agriculture, veterinary science and human healthcare,” he said.
Prof Ganai also congratulated Dr Aasiya Nabi, Dr Sofi Imtiyaz Ali, Professor Bilal A Padder and Dr Showkat Ul Nabi, saying the projects embodied the university’s commitment to translating fundamental research into practical solutions with wider societal and industrial applications.
The latest fellowships add to SKUAST-K’s growing list of nationally recognised research achievements and reinforce its efforts to promote interdisciplinary research addressing challenges in food security, agriculture and healthcare.
