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Bidisha Bhowal

Biotechnology Researcher (PhD Candidate) | Decoding Plant Genomes for Climate Resilience | 8 years of research experience in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics |

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About Me

Hi, I'm Bidisha Bhowal, a Plant Biochemist and Biotechnologist passionate about leveraging molecular biology and data science to tackle agricultural challenges. I am currently a PhD Candidate in Biotechnology at Delhi Technological University, where I am awaiting my final defense. My research primarily focuses on decoding plant genomes for climate resilience. Specifically, I look at genome-wide identification, molecular evolution, and metabolic pathways related to stress tolerance in the genus Oryza (rice). I bring over five years of core research experience across molecular biology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics , including my previous tenure as a Project Associate (JRF) at ICGEB, New Delhi.

I bridge the gap between traditional wet-lab biochemistry and dry-lab computational biology. My core expertise includes: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology: Designing and executing complex experiments in protein isolation, purification, enzyme kinetics, and expression analysis utilizing qRT-PCR. Bioinformatics & Genome Mining: Characterizing plant proteins, modeling molecular docking, and running dynamic simulations (GROMACS, Schrödinger). Data Analysis: Writing clean, analytical code in R to interpret complex biological datasets. Plant-Microbe Interactions: Investigating microbe-mediated stress mitigation, bacterial isolation, and bioformulations to enhance crop survival.

Location
New Delhi, India
Experience
8 Years
Publications
10; 80 % of my peer-reviewed publications are Lead or Joint-Lead Author initiatives.
Status
PhD Candidate, Defence awaited

Research Experience

My journey in biotechnology research and development

December 2017 - February 2021

Project Associate I (JRF)

International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi

Managed laboratory operations and spearheaded DBT and DST-sponsored projects under the mentorship of Prof. S.K. Sopory.

  • Contributed to building a research foundation for plant-microbe interactions and stress mitigation
  • Integrated biochemical and microbiological datasets to write comprehensive scientific reports.
  • Authored 2 research articles, 2 review articles, and 1 book chapter during tenure.
Current

Doctoral Research

PhD in Biotechnology, Thesis Defence Awaiting

Decoding plant genomes to build climate resilience. My doctoral work centered on the genus Oryza (rice), specializing in genome-wide identification, molecular evolution, and mapping metabolic pathways related to abiotic stress tolerance.

  • National Fellowship: Qualified and awarded the competitive CSIR-Direct SRF (2021).
  • Conceptualized and executed projects resulting in high-impact first-author publications, including papers in Biochemical Genetics (2026) and Functional & Integrative Genomics (2024).
  • Presented research at international conferences (IBBACI 2023, VLS 2024)
  • Extensive experience in genome mining, in silico analysis, molecular docking, and structural dynamic simulations using GROMACS and Schrödinger.
  • Transcriptomics: Skilled in transcriptome data analysis
  • Protein & Enzyme Engineering: Specialized in the standardization, optimization, over-expression, purification, and characterization (Western Blotting) of proteins, alongside rigorous enzyme kinetic assays.
  • Advanced hands-on experience in DNA/RNA extraction, plasmid isolation, PCR, and expression analysis utilizing qRT-PCR techniques.
  • Proficient in assessing plant treatments through precise antioxidant assays, including SOD, CAT, and APx , as well as general abiotic stress assays.

Publications

Peer-reviewed research contributions to scientific literature

Research Article

Mapping the Molecular Evolution and Role of Wild Rice GLYIII Protein-Encoding Genes in Abiotic Stress Response

Biochemical Genetics

2026

Bhowal, B., Hasija, Y., & Singla-Pareek, S. L.

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Research Article

Tracing the intraspecies expansion of glyoxalase genes and their expanding roles across the genus Oryza

Functional & Integrative Genomics

2024

Bhowal, B., Hasija, Y., & Singla-Pareek, S. L.

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Review Article

Role of methylglyoxal and redox homeostasis in microbe-mediated stress mitigation in plants

Plant Science

2024

Garai, S., Bhowal, B*., Gupta, M., Sopory, S. K., Singla-Pareek, S. L., Pareek, A., & Kaur, C.

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Research Article

Lactate Dehydrogenase Superfamily in Rice and Arabidopsis: Understanding the Molecular Evolution and Structural Diversity

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

2023

Chatterjee, Y., Bhowal, B., Gupta, K. J., Pareek, A., & Singla-Pareek, S. L.

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Research Article

Genomic Survey of Flavin Monooxygenases in Wild and Cultivated Rice Provides Insight into Evolution and Functional Diversities

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

2023

Gaba, Y., Bhowal, B., Pareek, A., & Singla-Pareek, S. L.

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Research Article

Serotonin and Melatonin Biosynthesis in Plants: Genome-Wide Identification of the Genes and Their Expression Reveal a Conserved Role in Stress and Development

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

2021

Bhowal, B., Bhattacharjee, A., Goswami, K., Sanan-Mishra, N., Singla-Pareek, S. L., Kaur, C., & Sopory, S.

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Review Article

What signals the glyoxalase pathway in plants?

Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants

2021

Garai, S., Bhowal, B*., Kaur, C., Singla-Pareek, S. L., & Sopory, S. K.

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Research Article

Expression dynamics of glyoxalase genes under high temperature stress in plants

Plant Physiology Reports

2020

Garai, S., Bhowal, B., Pareek, A., et al.

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Research Article

From methylglyoxal to pyruvate: a genome-wide study for the identification of glyoxalases and D-lactate dehydrogenases in Sorghum bicolor

BMC Genomics

2020

Bhowal, B., Singla-Pareek, S. L., Sopory, S. K., & Kaur, C.

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Book Chapter

Engineering Glycine Betaine Biosynthesis in Alleviating Abiotic Stress Effects in Plants

Compatible Solutes Engineering for Crop Plants Facing Climate Change (Springer)

2021

Bhowal, B., Chandra, P., Saxena, S.C.

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Skills & Expertise

Technical, computational, and soft skills developed through years of research

🧪 Technical Skills

DNA/RNA Isolation PCR Protein Expression Protein Purification Western Blotting Enzyme Activity Assays qRT-PCR Transcriptome Analysis miRNA Identification miR primer designing PGPRs Isolation Chemotaxis and plant-microbe interaction studies Microbe-mediated stress mitigation 16s rRNA Sequencing Tissue Culture Microscopy Abiotic Stress Assays

đź’» Computational Skills

Bioinformatics Genome Mining Multi-tiered gene identification Evolutionary Analysis Expansion dynamics and Comparative genomics Molecular Docking Molecular Dynamic Simulation GROMACS Schrödinger Suite R Programming Pan-genome Analysis

🎯 Soft Skills

Adaptability Problem Solving Troubleshooting Time Management Collaborative Active Listening Team Player Attention to Detail

Awards & Recognition

Achievements and professional contributions

🏆 CSIR-Direct SRF 2021

Qualified for the prestigious Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Direct Senior Research Fellowship, recognizing excellence in research capabilities.

🎓 GATE(BT) 2015

Qualified Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (Biotechnology) with All India Rank 393 and GATE percentile 95.6%.

đź“ť Peer Reviewer

Reviewed 3 research articles for prestigious journals: PeerJ, Plant Gene, and the Journal of Applied Genetics (Springer Nature), contributing to scientific quality assurance.

🎤 Conference Presentations

Presented research at international conferences including IBBACI 2023 (NASC Complex, New Delhi) and Vistas in Life Sciences 2024 (JNU, New Delhi), showcasing work on the molecular evolution of glyoxalase protein-encoding genes across genus Oryza.

Get In Touch

Feel free to reach out for collaborations, opportunities, or just to connect

Email

bidisha63@gmail.com

LinkedIn

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Location

New Delhi, India