Sekhar Kambakam
Address:
2415 Aspen Rd, Unit # 206
Ames, IA-50010
USA
Research Interests:
Molecular biology and Genetics, functional genomics biotic and abiotic stresses at molecular level
Biography:
- Dr. Sekhar Kambakam is working as a post-doctoral research associate at Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, USA.
- He received Masters in Agricultural Biotechnology from Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University and Ph.D in Molecular Genetics from Osmania University, India.
- During PhD, he received a meritorious scholarship from UGC (University Grants Commission), Govt. of India.
- He was awarded several best research paper and poster presentations at national and international conferences in India.
- He generated drought responsive ESTs database from pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) crop and deposited in Genbank first time.
- He has a vast experience on photosynthesis, abiotic and biotic stresses at molecular levels.
- In his PhD, most of research has focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind abiotic stress tolerance using crop (pigeonpea; Cajanus cajan) and model plants (Arabidopsis, tobacco).
- Additionally, his group also patented one of the novel genes isolated from pigenpea crop with a function of multiple stress tolerance in Arabidopsis.
- In the current position, he has an experience to understand the regulation and mechanism of chloroplast development using variegated mutant (immutans) of Arabidopsis.
- Besides, he has also an experience in development of soybean transgenics against sudden death syndrome (SDS) and root rot diseases using Arabidopsis non-host resistance genes.
- He isolated five potential Arabidopsis non-host genes that are showed resistance to soybean pathogens. For patenting of these genes is under process.
- He published his research work in high impact peer reviewed journals including “The Plant Cell, Journal of Biotechnology, Plant Cell and environment etc., and the research work was cited 138 times in different peer-reviewed journals.
- He also presented his research work in American Society of Plant Biology annual meeting, which is the biggest conference in Plant Biology, occurs in USA once a year, and at national and international conferences in India and USA.
- In addition, he is an experienced critical reviewer for peer-reviewed journals including BMC plant biology, Plant Molecular Biology reporter, PLUSONE, Molecular Plant, Plant and Cell Physiology, Central European Journal of Biology, Lipids in Health and Disease, and Indian journal of virology etc.
- He is also an editorial member for several international peer-reviewed journals.
- He has mentored undergraduate to graduate students and as well demonstrated recombinant DNA-technology methods to students at Iowa state university.