Scientist Profile

Dr. Rita Sharma

Dr. Rita Sharma

Scientist E

Date of Joining: 15 Feb 2024

+91 172 522 1252

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Broad Discipline: Plant Biotechnology

Specialization: Plant Reproductive Biology, Sorghum Functional Genomics, Seed Development, Abiotic Stress Signaling

  • Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan, India (March 2021-February 2024)
  • Indo-US GETin Fellow (IUSSTF-DBT) at Joint BioEnergy Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA (Feb 2018- Feb 2019)
  • UGC-Assistant Professor, School of Computational & Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India (Feb 2015-March 2021)
  • Ramalingaswami Fellow, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India (March 2014-Jan 2018)
  • Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Centre, University of California, Davis, California, USA (May 2009-Feb 2014)
     
  • Generated transcriptomic resources for rice and sorghum
  • Functional characterization of several genes associated with plant development and stress response
  • Contributed to genome sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of Switchgrass and Foxtail Millet 
  • Development of phylogenomics databases for rice
  • Development and optimization of methods for transient transformation and mechanical stress analysis in plants

Genetic modification of Sorghum for improved yield, nutritional value, and abiotic stress tolerance

  • Identification and characterization of male gametophyte-specific promoters in sorghum
  • CRISPR-mediated editing of small RNA-biogenesis machinery to engineer male fertility in an environment-dependent manner
  • Functional characterization of key genes associated with seed development in Arabidopsis, rice, and sorghum
     

  1. Kumar N, Vashisht I, Sivakumar KB, Nikhil SK, Umakanth AV, Pareek A, Sharma RA, Sharma MK (2026) Comparative transcriptome profiling suggests non-additive interactions significantly contribute to the heterotic behaviour of sweet sorghum hybrid CSH 22SS. J Plant Growth Regul. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-025-12015-9

  2. Figueiredo DD, Sharma RA (2025) The mysterious dialogue between the embryo, endosperm, and seed coat, and its implications on seed traits. Journal of Experimental Botany. eraf320. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf320

  3. Anwar K, Kansal S, Bahuguna RNa, Raghuvanshi S, Singla-Pareek S, Sharma RA, Pareek A (2025) Transcriptional dynamics of rice under individual, combined, and sequential abiotic stresses: insights across stress severity and recovery in contrasting genotypes. Plant, Cell & Environment. 1-16  https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70062

  4. Jain R, Dhaka N, Krishnan K, Yadav G, Priyam P, Sharma MK, Sharma RA (2024) Temporal gene expression profiles from pollination to seed maturity in sorghum provide core candidates for engineering seed traits. Plant, Cell & Environment. 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.15134

  5. Sharma L, Rahman F, Sharma, RA (2024) The emerging role of biotechnological advances and artificial intelligence in tackling gluten sensitivity. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2024.2392158

    List of Publications

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  • WISER (Women Involvement in Science and Engineering Research) Award by Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (established by DST, India, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany (June 2023).
  • SERB Star Award by DST-SERB, Government of India (May 2023).
  • Faculty Advisor, Regional Student Group, International Society of Computational Biologists (2019-2023).
  • Genome Engineering/Editing Technology (GETin) Fellowship through IUSSTF and DBT to work at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley (Feb 2018-Feb 2019).
  • Ramalingaswami Re-entry fellowship (2014-2019), by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
  • Certificate of appreciation for witnessing Republic Day Parade, 2005 as guest of Honourable Prime Minister of India in recognition of academic performance in post-graduation.
  • National Eligibility Test (CSIR-NET) qualified in 2003 among top 20%.
  • University Gold Medallist (MSc Botany, G.N.D.U, Amritsar).
  • Founding Member, Asia Pacific Bioinformatics Interaction and Networking Society.
  • Lifetime Member, Indian Society for Plant Physiology.