PS

Paramjit Singh

Guru Nanak Dev university, Central University of Punjab, Jai Narain Vyas University, Punjabi University, Botanical Survey of India

ORCID iD 0000-0001-7909-6284
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About

Dr. Paramjit Singh, formerly Director, Botanical Survey of India, obtained his B.Sc. degree from Punjabi University, Patiala in 1977 after which he enrolled in the Botany Department, Punjabi University for his M.Sc. degree. He joined the Botanical Survey of India, Arid Zone Circle, Jodhpur as a Research Fellow in January 1980 and obtained his Ph.D. from University of Jodhpur in 1986. He joined Central Soil and Water Conservation Research & Training Institute in 1985 and worked on floristic and conservation of natural resources on watershed basis in North Gujrat. In 1990 he moved to Botanical Survey of India, Gangtok and worked on floristic of Sikkim and bamboos of North East India and was Collaborator in All India Coordinated Research Project on Capacity Building in Taxonomy in Grasses & Bamboos, financed by Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India. In 2002 he joined the Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata as Deputy Director and later joined as Joint Director and Head of the Publications Division. Since 2011 he has been working as Director of Botanical Survey of India. He has initiated a programme for digitization of Indian Taxonomic Literature, archival materials, Herbaria and is planning to put a website on eflora of India and is actively involved in reviving the interest in taxonomy.
Paramjit’s work on Taxonomic Revision of the family Zygophyllaceae R.Br. and Vitaceae Juss. during his Ph.D. was published by Botanical Survey of India as part of the Flora of India vol 4 & 5 and Facicles of Flora of India volume 20, and he added significantly to the taxonomic knowledge of these two difficult families and solved several taxonomic and nomenclatural problems in the species complexes and discovered several new taxa. He made significant contribution to the flora of Sikkim and bamboos of north-eastern India. More than 11 new taxa were discovered by him including a new bamboo genus from Arunachal Pradesh. He has explored in almost all parts of the country and also, participated in Hooker’s Trail in Sikkim and Gondwanaland Expedition to 17 countries of S Asia and Africa. He has visited and worked in several international herbaria in Asia, Africa, Europe and America. As a scientific authority of India on CITES ( Convention on International Trade in Endangered species of Flora and Fauna) he has been advising the government of India on various scientific issues on Trade in Plants and participated in Plants Committee meeting of CITES at Dublin, Ireland in 2012. He is the member of various national and International level scientific committees of the institutes like NBRI, Lucknow; Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, Lucknow; the Centre of Ecological Sciences (IIS),Bangalore; FRLHT, Bangalore; GBPIHED, Almora; IIBS, Imphal; Aromatic & Medicinal Plant Board, Ministry of Health, New Delhi, etc. He has authored around 90 research papers and 13 books, and guided 4 Ph.D. students.
He is a Chief Editor of the Nelumbo and is on the editorial Board of Phytotaxonomy. Dr Paramjit Singh was awarded Fr H. Santapau Medal by Association of Plant Taxonomy (2012)and Prof VV Sivarajan Gold Medal by Indian Association of Angiosperm Taxonomy(2013). He is a Fellow of the Linnaean Society, London; Indian Association of Angiosperm Taxonomy; Eastern Himalayan Society for Spermatophyte Taxonomy; Association of Plant Taxonomy; Society of Soil and Water Conservationists of India and life member of the International Association of Plant Taxonomy.

Employment

  • Central University of Punjab Professor
    2020 - 2020
  • Guru Nanak Dev university Honorary Professor of Eminence
    2019 - Present
  • Botanical Survey of India Director
    2011 - 2018
  • Botanical Survey of India Scientist
    1990 - 2011
  • Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute Technical Officer
    1985 - 1990

Education

  • Jai Narain Vyas University Ph.D
    1980 - 1986
  • Punjabi University M.Sc.
    1977 - 1979

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (30)