GERRY APLANG JANA

Current Address: Doha, Qatar; Mobile: +974-********; Email: adg2hz@r.postjobfree.com

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

PhD in Biology: September 2015 – May 2020

College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Thesis Title: Elucidating molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance in date palms: an insight into the role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and silicon

Supervisor: Dr. Mahmood Yaish, (College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University) and Dr. Rashid Abdullah Al- Yahyai (College of Agriculture, Sultan Qaboos University). MSc in Plant Genetic Manipulation: September 2009 - September 2010 Plant and Crop Science Division, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. Thesis Title: The effect of transgenic silencing of a Rab GTPase in Tomato and Arabidopsis. Supervisor : Dr G.W. Lycett.

Modules: Plant biotechnology, Plant genetic manipulation practical techniques, Genomics B.Tech in Agricultural Biotechnology: May 2005- April 2009 Centre of Plant Molecular Biology, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore, India. Thesis Title: Tissue culture studies in pulses.

Supervisor: Dr. S. Krishnaveni.

Modules: Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, Cell biology, Molecular biology, Microbiology, Genetics & Cytogenetics, Agronomy, Genetic engineering and Immunotechnology AWARDS AND GRANTS

• The Research Council of Oman (TRC) PhD Fellowship: 2015-2020

• Developing Solutions Scholarship, The University of Nottingham: 2009-2010

• Book Grant, Department of Agriculture, Government of Meghalaya, India: 2005-2009 PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

• G. A. Jana, P. Krishnamurthy, P. P. Kumar and M. W. Yaish (2020) Functional characterization and expression profiling of glyoxalase III genes in date palm grown under abiotic stresses. Physiologia Plantarum. DOI:10.1111/ppl.13239

• G. A. Jana and M. W. Yaish (2020), Functional characterization of the Glyoxalase-I (PdGLX1) gene family in date palm under abiotic stresses. Plant Signaling & Behavior. DOI:10.1080/15592324.2020.1811527

• G. A. Jana and M. W. Yaish (2020), Genome-wide identification and functional characterization of glutathione peroxidase genes in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) under stress conditions. Plant Gene. DOI:10.1016/j.plgene.2020.100237.

• Al-Harrasi, G. A. Jana, H. V. Patankar, R. Al-Yahyai and M. W. Yaish (2020), A novel tonoplast Na + /H + antiporter gene from date palm (PdNHX6) confers enhanced salt tolerance response in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell Reports. DOI:10.1007/s00299-020-02549-5.

• G. A. Jana, L. Al-Kharusi, R. Al-Yahyai, R Sunkar and M. W. Yaish (2019), Metabolomic analysis of date palm seedlings exposed to salinity and silicon treatments. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 14(11). DOI:10.1080/15592324.2019.1663112.

• H. V. Patankar, I. Al-Harrasi, L. Al-Kharusi, G. A. Jana, R. Al-Yahyai, R Sunkar and M. W. Yaish (2019), Overexpression of a Metallothionein 2A Gene from Date Palm Confers Abiotic Stress Tolerance to Yeast and Arabidopsis thaliana. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(12). DOI:10.3390/ijms20122871.

• G. A. Jana, M. W. Yaish and R. Al-Yahyai (2017), Genome Sequencing of Microbacterium sp. Yaish 1, a Bacterial Strain Isolated from the Rhizosphere of Date Palm Trees Affected by Salinity. Genome Announcements, 5(44). DOI:10.1128/genomeA.01247-17.

• M. W. Yaish, A. Al-Lawati, G. A. Jana, H. V. Patankar and B.R. Glick (2016) Impact of Soil Salinity on the Structure of the Bacterial Endophytic Community Identified from the Roots of Caliph Medic (Medicago truncatula). PLoS ONE, 11(7). DOI.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159007. TECHNICAL EXPERTIES

• Molecular Biology: Plasmid construction and transformation (particle bombardment/ agrobacterium- mediated/plastid), site-directed mutagenesis, gene expression analysis, recombinant protein production, western blotting, flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, functional screening in Arabidopsis.

• Microbiology: isolating and screening of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria, yeast transformation and functional screening

• Tissue Culture: shoot tip culture, embryo culture, pollen culture and anther culture.

• Bioinformatics: Bacterial and plant sequence analysis using various DNA and Protein databases.

• Biostatistics: GenStat and SPSS software package. WORK EXPERIENCE

Manager: November 2012- July 2015

Premier AgroFarm, Shillong, Meghalaya, India

Supervised planting, pruning, harvesting and maintenance of a 15-hectare fruit orchard and vegetable farm and marketing of produce.

Junior Research Fellow: : July 2011- June 2012

Laboratory of Crop Improvement, College of Postgraduate Study, Central Agricultural University, Umiam, Meghalaya, India

Involved in setting up a plant biotechnology hub at the University funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

Trainee: June 2008–August 2008

Indo American Hybrid Seeds Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore India Project title: Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Viral resistance Coat Protein (CP) gene into tomato plant. Supervisor: Dr. A. Das

Designed and constructed vectors for transforming tomato plants with the CP gene isolated from a strain of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) found in South India to provide resistance against TYLCV. CONFERENCES AND TRAININGS

12th Congress on the International Plant Molecular Biology, Montpellier, France: 5th -10th August 2018 Poster: Metabolomic Profile of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Seedlings Treated with Silicon Under Salinity. G. A. Jana, M.W. Yaish and R. Al-Yahyai

Comprehensive Entrepreneurship Development Programme in Biotechnology for North Eastern Region: 1st July

– 31st December 2013

Biotech Consortium India Limited, New Delhi and Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India

Hands-on training in setting up a tissue culture unit at Sristi Agro Biotech Limited, Howrah, India. Training in Mushroom cultivation: 2nd May – 18th May 2007 Department of Plant Pathology. Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore, India Training for the production of spawn and cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus bisporus, Lentinula edodes and Volvariella volvacea mushroom varieties. REFEREES

• Dr. Mahmood Yaish: PhD Supervisor

Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat-123, Oman. Tel: +968-****-****, Email: adg2hz@r.postjobfree.com / adg2hz@r.postjobfree.com

• Dr. Rashid Al-Yahyai: PhD Co-Supervisor

Department of Crop Science, College of Agriculture, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat-123, Oman. Tel: +968-****-****, Email: adg2hz@r.postjobfree.com

• Dr. D. Sudhakar : Undergraduate Tutor

Department of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641 003, India. Tel: +91-422-*******, Email: adg2hz@r.postjobfree.com

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