Biological and Life Sciences

Ajay Kohli

Professor, School of Arts and Sciences

PhD (University of East Anglia)

+91.7455027691

Research Interests: Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Crop Nitrogen Use Efficiency, Molecular and Evolutionary Genetics of Crop Adaptation, Redox Biology and Development in Plants, Rice Biotechnology, Translational Plant Biology for Climate-Resilient Agriculture, Agricultural Research Innovation and Systems Leadership for Food Security

Profile

I am a plant molecular biologist with over three decades of experience in crop genetics, genomics, and sustainable agricultural development. My research has focused on understanding the genetic, molecular, and physiological mechanisms that govern crop productivity, resilience, and nutrient use efficiency, particularly in rice and other staple crops that are critical to food security across Asia and Africa.

Throughout my career, I have worked at the interface of fundamental discovery science and its application to real-world agricultural challenges. My research integrates molecular genetics, genomics, physiology, breeding, and agronomy to develop a deeper understanding of how plants adapt to environmental constraints and how this knowledge can be harnessed to improve agricultural sustainability and productivity.

My current interests span nitrogen use efficiency and sustainable crop nutrition, the molecular and evolutionary genetics of crop adaptation, plant metabolism and redox biology, and translational approaches for climate-resilient agriculture. I am particularly interested in uncovering the biological mechanisms that enable crops to use resources more efficiently, tolerate environmental stresses, and contribute to more sustainable food production systems.

In addition to my scientific work, I have held senior leadership positions within the international agricultural research system, where I have helped shape research strategy, foster international partnerships, and build multidisciplinary programs addressing major global challenges in agriculture, food security, and environmental sustainability. These experiences have strengthened my conviction that scientific excellence must be coupled with effective collaboration, innovation, and engagement with stakeholders across the research-to-impact continuum.

At Ahmedabad University, I look forward to contributing to an intellectually vibrant and interdisciplinary academic environment, mentoring students and early-career researchers, and advancing research that addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing agriculture and food systems in the twenty-first century.

Research

My research has focused on understanding the genetic, molecular, and physiological basis of crop productivity, adaptation, and sustainability, with a particular emphasis on rice and other staple crops. Over the course of my career, in India, UK, USA and the Philippines, I have led and contributed to multidisciplinary research spanning molecular genetics, functional genomics, plant physiology, crop improvement, and agricultural systems research.

A major area of my work has been the identification and characterization of genes and biological pathways that regulate nutrient use efficiency, stress adaptation, yield formation, and grain quality. My research has explored the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to environmental constraints such as drought and nutrient limitation, with the objective of developing more resilient and resource-efficient cropping systems.

I have also worked extensively on the application of genomics and genetic diversity analysis to understand crop evolution, domestication, and adaptation. This has included the use of large-scale genomic resources to investigate functional variation within cultivated crops and their wild relatives, and to identify genetic factors that can be harnessed for crop improvement.

In addition to laboratory and field-based research, I have contributed to the development and leadership of international research programs addressing food security, climate resilience, sustainable intensification, and agricultural innovation. My work has emphasized the integration of fundamental biological discovery with practical applications that can benefit farmers, consumers, and the environment.

Current research interests include nitrogen use efficiency, plant metabolism and redox biology, molecular and evolutionary genetics of crop adaptation, climate-resilient agriculture, and innovation pathways for sustainable food systems.

Publications

Kohli, A., Leech, M., Vain, P., Laurie, D.A., & Christou, P. (1998). Transgene organization in rice engineered through direct DNA transfer supports a two-phase integration mechanism mediated by the establishment of integration hot spots. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 95, 7203–7208.
Kohli, A., Twyman, R.M., Abranches, R., Wegel, E., Stoger, E., & Christou, P. (2003). Transgene integration, organization and interaction in plants. Plant Molecular Biology, 52, 247–258.
Kohli, A., Griffiths, S., Palacios, N., Twyman, R.M., Vain, P., Laurie, D.A., & Christou, P. (1999). Molecular characterization of transforming plasmid rearrangements in transgenic rice reveals a recombination hotspot in the CaMV 35S promoter. The Plant Journal, 17, 591–601.
Dorschner, M.O., Hawrylycz, M., Humbert, R., Wallace, J.C., Shafer, A., Kawamoto, J., Hall, R., Bromiley, P., Kuchinsky, A., Kohli, A., et al. (2004). High-throughput localization of functional elements by quantitative chromatin profiling. Nature Methods, 1, 219–225.
Sreenivasulu, N., Harshavardhan, V.T., Govind, G., Seiler, C., & Kohli, A. (2012). Contrapuntal role of ABA: does it mediate stress tolerance or plant growth retardation under long-term drought stress? Gene, 506, 265–273.
Kohli, A., Sreenivasulu, N., Lakshmanan, P., & Kumar, P.P. (2013). The phytohormone crosstalk paradigm takes center stage in understanding how plants respond to abiotic stresses. Plant Cell Reports, 32, 945–957.
Fujita, D., Kohli, A., & Horgan, F.G. (2013). Rice resistance to planthoppers and leafhoppers. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 32, 162–191.
Zaidi, S.S.A., Vanderschuren, H., Qaim, M., Mahfouz, M.M., Kohli, A., Mansoor, S., & Tester, M. (2019). New plant breeding technologies for food security. Science, 363, 1390–1391.
Kohli, A., Miro, B., Balié, J., & d’A Hughes, J. (2020). Photosynthesis research: a model to bridge fundamental science, translational products, and socio-economic considerations in agriculture. Journal of Experimental Botany, 71, 2281–2298.
Badoni, S., Pasion-Uy, E.A., Kor, S., Kim, S.R., Tiozon Jr., R.N., Misra, G., et al., & Kohli, A. (2024). Multiomics of a rice population identifies genes and genomic regions that bestow low glycemic index and high protein content. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 121, e2410598121.

Full publication list available at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=KeDiv9cAAAAJ&hl=en