PROF. CHITTARANJAN KOLE is an internationally renowned scientist and academician with a spectacular professional career spanning over 37 years. His multifaceted contributions as a scientist, a science leader, an administrator and a visionary with novel ideas are highly appreciated over the world. His life-time and original scientific contributions, specifically in the the fields of Genomics and Biotechnology have been globally recognized. Prof. Kole has developed a number of original concepts and strategies, which have contributed enormously to science and benefited the global society. His scholarly publications include 150-plus quality research articles, 20-plus book chapters, and over 170 books with globally-reputed publishers. His academic contributions have been profusely appreciated by seven Noble Laureates including Profs. Norman Borlaug, Arthur Kornberg, Werner Arber, Phillip Sharp, Günter Blobel, Lee Hartwell and Roger Kornberg. His research contribitions have been recognized with several awards including the Outstanding Crop Scientist Award conferred on him by the International Crop Science Society in 2012. A number of science organizations in India and abroad have honoured him as Distinguished Professor, Fellow and Honorary Fellow in recognition of his contributions to science and society. Prof. Kole has worked as a researcher and faculty member in a large number of premier institutions and universities in India and abroad including the Russian (erstwhile USSR) Academy of Sciences, Russia; University of Wisconsin, USA; The Pennsylvania State University, USA, and Clemsom University, USA. In India, he has established and developed many academic units, such as Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology as its Founding Principal Investigator; Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding at Allahabad agricultural Institute presently known as Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences as its Founding Head; Indo-Russian Center for Biotechnology as its First Projcet Coordinator; and Regional Nuclear Agriculture Research Center at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (Agricultural University) as its Founding Center-in-Charge and Director. He mentored 30 research students and 7 international scientists including one Fullbright Professor most of whom have grown internationally tall in teaching and research. Currently, Prof. Kole is heading three international organizations including Genome India International (GII). International Climate Resilient Crop Genomics Cosnsortium (ICRCGC) and International Consortium on Phytomedomics and Nutriomics (ICPN) as their Founding President. In recognition of his international leadership quality, He organized and chaired several prestigious international workshops; chaired several technical sessions; and delivered innumerable invited plenary lectures and keynote addresses in many international scientific meetings and platforms. FAO invited Prof. Kole to act as the Leader of the Climate Change theme for the FAO International Symposium on ‘The Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition’ held at Rome during 15-17 February 2016. He acted/is acting as a Editorial Board Member, Associate Editor or Guest Editor for over a dozen peer-reviewed international journals and also acted as the Regional Editor of American-Eurasian Network for Scientific Information, as a member of the International Advisory Board, Journal of Hill Agriculture; and as Advisory Board Member of Scientia Publication. He has been a reviewer for many renowned funding agencies including National Science Foundation, USA, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Agency for International Development and Genome British Columbia, Canada. Prof. Kole has served as a Professor in the Sam higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences for 15 years where he has acted also as the Dean of the Jacob School of Biotechnology & Bioengineering. Prof. Kole has served successfully as the Vice-Chancellor of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya during the period which mostly facilitated this university to rank 1st among the agricultural universities and institutions as announced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India as part of ‘India Rankings 2016’ prepared under the National Institutional Ranking Framework. In the recent past, he was awarded with the presitigious and highly competitive ‘Raja Ramanna Fellowship’ by the Department of Aromic Energy, Government of India availing which he conducted pioneering researches on phytomedomics at ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology at New Delhi.
