CUSAT IQAC Profile
https://iqac.cusat.ac.in/Web/profile_view/406/Dr.SREEKANTHPMSreekanth

Dr Sreekanth P. M is Assistant Professor of Biotechnology at Cochin University of Science and Technology. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology and Master’s in Biotechnology both from Bharathiar University Coimbatore.

He had a pre-doctoral research experience as Research Fellow and Senior Research Fellow in Kerala Forest Research Institute and Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur. He received his doctoral degree in 2010 in Forestry specialized in Forest Biotechnology from FRI University, Dehradun, India. Thereafter, he carried out his Post-doctoral research training in conservation genetics from Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad and then joined Molecular
Research and Services Laboratory, GENERTI INFOVALLEY® Life Sciences Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia as Junior Scientist. He served as Assistant Professor in Bangalore City College affiliated to Bangalore University, and then served as Assistant Professor (Contract) in Department of Biotechnology. Completed two externally funded research projects as Principal
Investigator in Department of Biotechnology, Cochin University of Science and Technology in the theme Impact of Biodiversity after flood/ landslides funded by Kerala Sate Biodiversity Board (KSBB) Govt.of Kerala entitled “Riverine biodiversity monitoring with reference to Mangroves in comparison with pre flood data” and second in Startup Research Grant project funded by SERB-DST Govt. of India on “Fine scale genetic structuring of Mangrove tree Avicennia marina in ecologically important areas of Kerala coast”.

Research Interests
1. Population genetics to reconstruct the recent evolutionary history of tree populations, and
its application to molecular ecology, conservation biology and speciation genetics.

2. To understand the roles of demography and selection in the structure and divergence of
natural tree populations.

3. To understand the genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation, trees species
coexistence in tropical forest and tropical forest restoration.

4. Bio prospecting of entophytic microbes from forest ecosystems

5. Whole genome sequencing of trees to understand the functional genomics.

AWARD/HONOURS

1. Expert Member (Technical Steering Committee of Ernakulam district nominated by
Kerala State Biodiversity Board, Govt . of Kerala (2020-2023)

2. Awarded 1, 00000 /- (One lakh rupees) and citation for the best project in Research Level
from Global Malayalee Council for reimagining Kerala after flood in (2019).

3. Awarded Fellow of Association for the Advancement of Biodiversity Science, Belgaum,
and Karnataka, India December 5 th ( 2015).

4. Awarded Start-Up Research Grant (Young Scientists) award for research project titled “Fine scale genetic structuring of Mangrove tree Avicennia marina in ecologically important areas of Kerala coast” as Principal Investigator funded by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) established under Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi (2015)

5. Bagged the best oral presentation award in National Seminar On Tree Biotechnology 2013 conducted by Institute Of Forest Genetics And Tree Breeding, Coimbatore; sponsored by DST and DBT New Delhi. Awarded Dr. K. M. Bhat Memorial Endowment Award Gold Medal for the "best emerging Scientist of Kerala Forest Research Institute" (2013). Awarded best Lecturer for the year of Bangalore City College, affiliated to Bangalore
University(2011-2012)

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Sreekanth,P.M*., Balasundaran M., Nazeem P.A and Suma T.B. Genetic diversity of
nine natural Tectona grandis L.f. populations of the Western Ghats in Southern India.
2012. Conservation Genetics 13:1409–1419 Springer Publication; DOI:
10.1007/s10592-012-0383-5.ISSN No. 1572-9737

Sreekanth,P.M*., Balasundaran, M., 2012. AFLP diversity of teak in Clonal seed
Orchard. Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding. 72 (4) 484 – 487. ISSN:-0975-
6906

Sreekanth, P.M* and Balasundaran, M, 2013. Clonal Seed Orchard of Teak (Tectona
grandis L.f.): Genetic Diversity Measures Primary Basis for Future Environmental
Uncertainty, Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding Vol.3,No.24-10, 7- 11
Biopublishers Publication, Canada; (DOI: 10.5376/tgmb.2013.03.0002) ISSN 1927-
5781

Suma T.B., Sreekanth P.M., Renee M Borges Balasundaran M 2013. A peep into the
geneticdiversity of trees of the Western Ghats. Evergreen (71) 6-8. ISSN No 0254 -6426.
Sreekanth,P.M*., Balasundaran, M., Nazeem, P. A., 2014. Genetic and Morphological variation in natural teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) populations of the Western Ghats in Southern India. Journal of Forestry Research Vol. 25(4) 805-812; Springer Publication (DOI 10.1007/s11676-014-0528-0) (Impact factor 1.2) ISSN No. 1993-0607.

Sreekanth P.M 2015, Promoting the Recovery of a True Mangrove- Avicennia Marina in Ecogeographic Area of Puthuvypeen, Kochi, Kerala. Mapana J Sci, 14, (4), 31-37. (doi.org/10.12723/mjs.35.3) ISSN NO. 0975-3303.

Sreekanth, P.M* and Balasundaran, M, 2017. Genetic structuring of four Tectona grandis L. f. in Seed production areas of Southern India International Journal of Agriculture and Forestry; 7(3): 57-66. ISSN No. 2165-882X.

Sreekanth PM and Anupama KV, 2021. Genetic diversity assessment of native mangrove tree Avicennia marina in eco-geographic regions of Kerala coast, Southern India. Ecological Genetics and Genomics, Elesiever Publications (Under review).

OTHER ACADEMIC SERVICES

Member of Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding
Life Member of Mangrove Society of India
Member of International Society of Mangroves and Ecosystems
Life member Society of Biotechnologists of Inida
Member of International teak information network (TEAKNET)