Poonam
Assistant Professor
PhD (Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry); Ex Senior Research Fellow (ICAR-CPRI)
Poonam, an Assistant Professor at Shoolini, is passionate about Biotechnology and Plant Research. She holds a BSc (Honours) degree in Biotechnology from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, which she completed in 2012. She then did her master's in molecular biology and biotechnology in 2015, followed by a PhD in the same subject in 2021, both from the Department of Biotechnology, College of Horticulture, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (Nauni, Solan). Her PhD research focused on the identification of new genetic loci associated with fruit quality traits in apple, which was a significant contribution to the field.
Before joining Shoolini University, she worked as a Senior Research Fellow (SRF) at the ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Shimla, from March 9, 2015, to February 28, 2017. During this period, she contributed to various research projects and gained valuable hands-on experience in plant biotechnology.
Asst Prof Poonam has published several research papers in reputed, high-impact journals and has actively participated in both international and national conferences. She has received multiple recognitions and awards for her work, including:
Achievements
- Certificate for poster presentation at the International Conference on Biodiversity: Current Scenario and Future Strategies, St. Bede’s College, Shimla (2016)
- Certificate for poster presentation at the 1st International Agro-Biodiversity Congress, organised by the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources and Bioversity International, New Delhi (2016)
- Best poster award (as co-author) at the International Conference on Biodiversity, St. Bede’s College, Shimla (2016)
- Certificate for poster presentation at the National Seminar on Doubling Income Through Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (DISHA), Dr YSP UHF, Nauni (2019)
- Best poster award (as co-author) at the National Potato Association event organised by CPRI, Shimla (2019)
- Certificate for participation in an event conducted by the Government of India at ZSI-HARC, Solan (2018)
- Certificate for participation in an event jointly organised by the Government of Himachal Pradesh and CSIR-IHBT, Palampur (2019)
- Certificate for participation in an awareness workshop on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) at Dr YSP UHF, Nauni (2019)
- Departmental Merit Scholarship from Dr YSP UHF, Nauni (2019–2020)
- Medhavi Chattra award during her Ph.D. studies
In addition to her academic achievements, Asst Prof Poonam has completed training programs in clinical microbial practices and biodiversity governance, which have enhanced her practical knowledge and research skills. She continues to contribute actively to the scientific community through her research, teaching, and collaborations.
Publications
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Sr. No |
Research Paper title |
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1. |
Poonam, Shilpa, Sharma N, Kaur R and Samriti 2017. Database Derived Microsatellite Markers (SSRs) of Stevia rebaudiana for Cross-transferability Testing Across Species in Family Asteraceae. Advances in Research 9(5): 1-9. |
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2. |
Smriti, Kaur R, Shilpa, Malhotra E V, Poonam, Thakur D and Kumar K 2017. Assessment of genetic diversity in Rubus ellipticus (Smith) Using molecular markers. Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad 83 No. 3 September 2017 pp. 669-679. |
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3. |
Sharma R, Kaushik SK, Bhardwaj V, Dalamu, Singh A, Poonam, Kumar A, Bisht CM and Chakrabarti SK. 2019. Diversity analysis of potato advanced hybrids using morphological and SSR markers. Potato Journal 46 (1): 1-15 |
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4. |
Sharma J, Sankhyan H, Thakur S, Jha SK, Sharma R, Poonam and Gautam V. 2021. Genetic diversity and population structure of Indian willow (Salix tetrasperma Roxb.) along its distributional range in the Himalayan region. Ecological Genetics and Genomics, 21. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egg.2021.100096) |
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5. |
Sharma J, Thakur S, Sankhyan HP, Jha SK, Sharma R, Poonam, Gautam V and Sankhyan N. 2022. Genetic diversity and population structure of Indian willow (Salix tetrasperma Roxb.) with dominant molecular markers along its distribution range in Himalayan region Indian J. Genet. Plant Breed., 82(1): 73-80 |
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6. |
Bhardwaj V, Kumar A, Sharma S, Singh B, Poonam, Sood S, Dipta B, Singh R, Siddappa S, Thakur AK, Dalamu, Sharma AK, Kumar V, Lal M, Kumar D. 2023. Analysis of genetic diversity, population structure and association mapping for late blight resistance in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) accessions using SSR, Agronomy (https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13020294) 13 (2): 294-308 |
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7. |
Poonam, Sharma, R., Sharma, P. et al. 2023. Exploring genetic diversity and ascertaining genetic loci associated with important fruit quality traits in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-023-01382-w) (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-023-01382-w) |
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8. |
Sharma H, Choudhary R, Poonam, et al. 2024. A Sustainable Agriculture Method Using Biofertilizers: An Eco-Friendly Approach. PLANT SCIENCE TODAY, Vol 11(3): 347-359 |
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9. |
Saveena Sangry, Praveen Kumar, D.R. Bhardwaj, K.S. Dogra and Poonam. 2024. Abundance, diversity and composition of understory plants along the altitudinal gradient and dominant overstory composition types in the temperate Himalayan region Front. For. Glob. Change 7 doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2024.1420855. |
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10. |
Himani Sharma, Abhishek Thakur, Arti Ghabru, Shivani Chauhan, Poonam, Bandana Kumari and Preeti Sharma. 2024. Reduction of anti-nutrients factors and study of in vitro protein digestibility, fractionation, SDS-PAGE analysis and thin layer chromatography of wild apricot kernel press cake protein isolate International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research 7 https://doi.org/10.33545/26174693.2024.v8.i7Sf.1535 |
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11. |
Thakur G, Kumar P, Bhardwaj DR, Prakash P, Poonam. 2024. Dynamics of aboveground vegetation biomass and carbon stocks along the altitudinal gradients and overstorey composition types in the temperate Himalayan region Trees, Forests and People 14 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2024.100553.
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Book Chapters:
Indra Rautela, Poonam, Ravindra Kumar Kachhap Oraon, Sonika Kalia and Manish Dev Sharma. 2025. Genetic engineering of endophytic fungi for enhanced bioactivity, Navigating Endophytic research for next-generation therapeutics, Developments in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology pp.403–414. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-31484-1.00001-3 (Scopus).