Archana Singh

Associate Professor

Education and Research Experience: 

B.Sc. (H) Botany, Miranda House, University of Delhi, Delhi, India (1999)
M.Sc. Botany, Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India (2001)
Ph.D., DBT- National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi (2008)
Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi (2009-21)
Post-doctoral Research, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Kentucky, USA (2016); Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany (2019)
Associate Professor, Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi (2021-23)

E. mail: archanasingh@pmb.du.ac.in

Research Interests:

Plants, being immobile, make tempting targets for pests and pathogens. However, they have developed sophisticated defense mechanisms to ward off herbivores and pathogenic invaders. They employ both direct and indirect defenses, including physical barriers, defensive chemicals, extrafloral nectars, and volatile compounds. Plants employ two types of defense mechanisms based on the timing of deployment: constitutive and induced defenses. Compared to constitutive defenses, inducible defenses are more efficient and long-lasting as plants maintain a fine-tuned regulatory system to balance defense and growth.
          Understanding the mechanism of induced plant defense against herbivores and pathogens can be achieved through functional genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics approaches. Our laboratory's primary objective is to unravel the molecular intricacies of induced plant defense. We employ transcriptomic, proteomic, and bioinformatic techniques, and we also conduct in silico, in vitro, and transgenic analyses to functionally characterize defense-related genes.
         Our research primarily focuses on three plant species: Glycine max, Cicer arietinum, and Zea mays, and their interactions with insect herbivores and pathogens. Our aim is to identify and characterize candidate genes that play pivotal roles in plant defense against pests and pathogens. This knowledge can pave the way for innovative strategies to enhance crop resistance through targeted genetic modifications, leading to more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and sustainable pest and pathogen management.