DR. H.K. JAIN

DR. H.K. JAIN
A famous agricultural scientist of the country distinguished for contributions to the knowledge of induced mutation and specific role of the nucleolus. Dr. H.K. Jain was bom in Distt. Gurgaon (Haryana) on 28th May, 1930.

He obtained his honours degree in Botany from Delhi University in 1949 and post graduated in Genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 1951 securing 1st Class and 1st Position in both examinations. He held the Science Research Scholarship of the Royal Commission, London at the University of Wales during 1952-55 from where he did his Ph.D. in Genetics in 1955.

He joined the I.A.R.I. in June, 1956 as Assistant Cytogeneticist, served as Cytologist in the Fundamental Genetics Laboratory during 1960-65 and is Head of the Division of Genetics at the Institute for the last 7 years.

His research has received wide recognition. As representative of South East Asia he was elected a member of the Steering Committee of the International Chromosome Conference held in U.K. in 1963. He has presided over a number of international scientific meetings including a session of the 12th International Congress of Genetics held In Japan. Past President of Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding, he is member of the editorial Board of "ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PFLANZENZUCHTUNG'.

Dr. Jain has received a number of awards Inluding Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Prize of ICAR and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for biological sciences. In 1973, he was awarded Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship. He is Fellow of Indian National Science Academy.

He has made extensive contribution relating to the mechanism of genetic recombination and its control at the interchromosome level. His work on tomato and Drosophila has been considered to have provided the first convincing evidence in support of the phenomenon of mutagen specifity in higher organisms.

Dr. Jain has been responsible for organising the research programme on the development of high yielding varieties of wheat at the I.AR.I. and its diversification to cover a large number of other crop plants. As a result of his concepts and achievements the Genetics Division has developed into one of the foremost centres in the field of wheat breeding. Residence : B-10, Pusa Institute, New Delhi-12, Phone 581908 & 581138