The Department of Botany was established at the undergraduate level in 1958 and was
elevated to postgraduate status in 1964. It is well-equipped with the essential facilities to
effectively conduct both UG and PG programs.
Head of the Department:
1. Dr. A.S. Bhatnagar 1964-1973
2. Dr. B.P. Pandey 1973-1995
3. Dr. Jaipal Singh 1995-1997
4. Sh. S. C. Chaudhary 1997-2002
5. Dr. Jitendra Mohan 2002-2011
6. Dr. Sudhir Kumar 2011 -2013
7. Dr. Baljeet Singh 2013 -2013
8. Dr. S. P. Singh 2013-2016
9. Dr. Rajeshwari Sharma 2016-2018
10. Prof.(Dr.) Sheesh Pal Singh 2018- to date
Dr. A. S. Bhatnagar, the founding Head of the Department, subsequently served as
Principal of I.P. College, Bulandshahr. The position of Head of the Department was held
by Dr. B. P. Pandey from 1973 to 1995, followed by Dr. Jai Pal Singh (1995–1997), Sh.
C. S. Chaudhary (1997–2002), Dr. J. Mohan (2002–2011), Dr. Sudhir Kumar
(2011–2013), Dr. B. S. Dahiya (2013), Dr. S. P. Singh (2013–2016), and Dr. Rajeshwari
Sharma (2016–2018).
Currently, Professor (Dr.) Sheesh Pal Singh has been serving as Head of the
Department since 2018.
Departmental Chronology:
The Department of Botany was established at the undergraduate level in 1958 with
three distinguished faculty members—Dr. B. P. Pandey, Dr. V. P. Singh, and Dr. J. P. Singh.
At that time, Botany was first introduced in this college, making it the pioneer among
institutions in the Delhi–Saharanpur region. The undergraduate programme began with a
modest enrolment of 15 students, which rapidly expanded to four sections, reflecting the
department’s growing popularity and academic strength.
In recognition of the department’s outstanding performance, it was elevated to
postgraduate status in 1964–65. Dr. A. S. Bhatnagar was appointed as the founding Reader
and Head of the Department. With the induction of two additional faculty members, the
department's strength increased to five, comprising Dr. A. S. Bhatnagar, Dr. B. P. Pandey,
Dr. J. P. Singh, Sh. M. S. Chaudhary, and Sh. C. S. Chaudhary.
As the student intake continued to grow, expanding to eight sections, two more
faculty members—Dr. J. Mohan and Dr. Sudhir Kumar—were appointed, bringing the total
faculty strength to seven. By 1971, the department further expanded to nine faculty members
with the addition of Dr. Vijender Singh and Dr. S. N. Shukla. Dr. Baljeet Singh joined the
department in 1973. Subsequently, Dr. Vijender Singh and Dr. S. N. Shukla left to pursue
prestigious roles as Assistant Director of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Scientist at
the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), respectively.
In 1975, Dr. Surendra Pal Singh and Dr. Ashok Kumar Sharma joined the faculty. Mr.
K. P. Raghuvanshi joined in 1978 but later left in 1980 to join the Indian Police Service
(IPS). He was succeeded by Mr. Yashpal Singh, who was later selected for the Indian
Administrative Service (IAS) in 1982. Dr. Rajeshwari Sharma joined as the 10th faculty
member in 1983.
Following the retirement of Sh. M. S. Chaudhary, Mr. Sunil Kumar Dhiman joined
the department in 2000. He later moved to Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, in 2002.
The department has continually encouraged faculty members to explore broader academic
and professional horizons.
Over the years, the Department of Botany has steadily expanded through the addition
of committed and qualified faculty members. Dr. Sheesh Pal Singh joined in 2001 and has
since contributed steadily to the department’s academic and research activities. He was
followed by Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma in 2003, who has actively supported both teaching and
scholarly engagement within the department, and Dr. Sanjay Kumar in 2005, who was later
transferred to M.S. College, Saharanpur in 2016. Dr. Indu joined in 2006, and Dr. Renu
Chaudhary in 2019, both contributing to the departmental academic responsibilities.
In 2022, the department welcomed Dr. Chandra Pal Singh, Dr. Tarkeshwar Nath
Tiwari, and Dr. Prashant Mishra, further strengthening its academic and research profile. At
present, the department comprises seven permanent faculty members, all of whom hold
doctoral degrees and are actively engaged in innovative teaching practices and scholarly
research.
Faculty members from the department have consistently held significant academic
and administrative responsibilities within the university. Dr. J. P. Singh, Dr. J. Mohan, and
Dr. Sudhir Kumar have served as Conveners of the Research Degree Committee, responsible
for monitoring Ph.D. programmes at the university. All three also held the position of
Convener of the Board of Studies, contributing to the formulation of undergraduate and
postgraduate curricula. Additionally, Dr. B. P. Pandey and Dr. Baljeet Singh were members
of the university Board of Studies, while Dr. J. Mohan and Dr. Sudhir Kumar have also
served as members of both the Academic Council and the Executive Council of the
university. Among the current faculty, Professor Sheesh Pal Singh has been appointed as a
subject expert for faculty appointments and promotions in affiliated colleges. He has
delivered the keynote address and served as a resource person at a national workshop. He has
also served as Convener of the Board of Studies for designing the B.Sc. Botany (Hons)
syllabus implemented by Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut.
Classrooms UG- PG Labs: There are exclusive classrooms and labs for M.Sc. students. The
department has two lecture rooms and two UG labs for B.Sc. students.
Departmental Library: There is a separate departmental library for PG students and
Research Scholars having 1700 volumes and journals including reference books.
Seminar Hall: There is a well-equipped seminar hall, for delivering seminars, quizzes and
guest lectures.
In Vitro Lab: There is a combined in vitro lab in association with the department of
Bioinformatics.
Taxonomy Lab: The lab for plant taxonomy and herbarium is under progress.
Computer facility: The department has computer facility for faculty, PG and research
students with Wi-Fi Internet connection. There is a backup inverter of 3.5 KVA .
Equipment:
The department is equipped with a range of essential instruments and facilities to
support both teaching and research activities. These include a multimedia console, overhead
and LCD projectors (accessed through the central facility), UV-Vis spectrophotometer, BOD
incubator, hot air ovens, micro-photographic equipment, trinocular and binocular research-
grade microscopes, precision electronic balances, autoclaves, and centrifuges, all of which
are in regular use. For microbial and biotechnological studies, the department houses
specialized equipment such as a laminar airflow cabinet, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
system, and infrared spectrophotometer. These facilities are further complemented through
collaboration with the subsidiary departments of Microbiology and Bioinformatics,
enhancing interdisciplinary research and practical training.
Botanical Excursions and Educational Tours:
The department regularly organizes botanical excursions as part of the postgraduate
curriculum to explore plant diversity and collect botanical specimens. Field visits have
covered diverse regions such as Jammu & Kashmir, Nainital, Darjeeling, Mussoorie,
Dehradun, Hastinapur forests, Barnawa, and nearby areas.
Educational tours have also been conducted to reputed research institutions, including
the Division of Biotechnology, NBPGR, Plant Pathology, Plant Physiology, and Virology
Divisions (IARI); Forest Research Institute (FRI); Doon Herbarium (Dehradun); and the
Regional Mushroom Research Centre, MHU Murthal.
Research
The Department of Botany maintains an active research profile, with a current focus
on areas such as Plant Physiology, Bioinformatics, Plant Taxonomy, and Ecology. At present,
two faculty members are supervising doctoral research, guiding a total of eight Ph.D.
scholars.
(A) Under the Supervision of Professor Sheesh Pal Singh
Four research scholars are working under Professor Sheesh Pal Singh in the domains
of Plant Taxonomy and Ecology, with a particular emphasis on documenting the flora of
underexplored regions in northern India. As part of their work, significant plant species from
these regions have been systematically digitized. Notably, two scholars have reported 11
plant species previously unrecorded in their areas of study, with their findings published in
reputed international journals.
(B) Under the Supervision of Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma
Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma is currently supervising four research scholars engaged in
studies related to Plant Physiology and Bioinformatics. Their work contributes to the
department’s ongoing commitment to research in plant functional biology and computational
approaches in botanical sciences.
To date, the department has successfully awarded over 84 Ph.D. degrees in various
areas of botanical sciences. At present, eight research scholars are actively pursuing doctoral
studies in diverse fields, including Plant Taxonomy, Plant Physiology, Ecology, and
Environmental Studies and Bioinformatics. The department has also undertaken several
research projects across multiple disciplines, supported by funding from prestigious agencies
such as the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), University Grants Commission
(UGC), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and the Department of Science
and Technology (DST) among others.
Research projects:
The department has successfully completed the following research projects:
.Lab to Land Investigations on Garlic Mosaic Virus on Growth Productivity and Phyto-
pathological Physiology of Garlic: Sponsored by Council of Science and Technology, UP.
Principal Investigators - Dr. A.K. Sharma, Dr. Jitendra Mohan
Identification and Epidemiology of Viruses Affecting Oil Seed Crops of Western UP with
special reference to Mustard and Sunflower Mosaic: Sponsored by ICAR, Krishi Bhawan,
New Delhi. Principal Investigator - Dr. Jitendra Mohan
Studies on Winged Bean Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC. Mosaic Virus: Sponsored by
UGC, Bahadurshah Jafar Marg, and New Delhi. Principal Investigator - Dr. Jitendra Mohan
Nitrogen and Carbon Metabolism under Moisture, Stress in Wheat Triticum aestivum:
Sponsored by CSIR, New Delhi. Principal Investigator - Dr. Jitendra Mohan,
NET/GATE/ SLET:
A considerable number of students from the department have qualified national-level
examinations such as NET and GATE. A few of the recent successful candidates are listed
below.
Shalza malik (GATE-2022)
Sheeba hasmi (GATE-2024)
Saphali Tyagi (GATE-2025)
Sunny kumar: NET-2022, GATE: 2020
Training:
Ms. Shivani, M.Sc. (2023–25), is undertaking a Summer Training Programme in
Plant Tissue Culture at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) Dehradun, Uttarakhand during the
year 2025.
Dr. B. P. Pandey is nationally renowned for his academic publications. His textbooks
on Internal Morphology and Economic Botany are held in high regard internationally. Other
notable faculty authors include Dr. J. Mohan, Dr. Baljeet Singh, Dr. A. K. Sharma, Dr.
Rajeshwari Sharma, Dr. Sheesh Pal Singh, Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma and Dr. Renu
Chaudhary who have all contributed well-illustrated and comprehensive textbooks in the field
of Botany.
Furthermore, Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma has published two monographs
internationally with Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany. Dr. Sheesh Pal Singh has
authored a book chapter on genetic engineering published by the prestigious Elsevier
Academic Press, London, in 2018.
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