Dilfuza Egamberdieva graduated in biology from the National University of Uzbekistan in 1993. She received her PhD in Agricultural Sciences from the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany in 2000 and did her first postdoctoral studies at the Helsinki University of Finland in 2001. In 2003 she conducted her second postdoctoral research in the Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, University of Florence, Italy. In 2006 she continued her research activities in Department of Biological Sciences of Manchester Metropolitan University and 2007 in Institute of Biology, Leiden University of Netherlands. She returned to Uzbekistan in 2009 and established research laboratory in National University of Uzbekistan, where the main focus of the research is directed towards an understanding of the structural and functional organization of plant associated microbial communities. For her best academic achievements she received numerous fellowship and awards including UNESCO-L’OREAL Fellowship for Women in Science (2006), IUBMB Young scientist Award (2006), ASM Morrison Rogosa Award (2006), UNESCO-MAB Award (2005), TWAS-TWOWS-SCOPUS Young Women Research Award (2009) and in 2012 she has been awarded with TWAS Prize in Agricultural Sciences for her innovative contributions to the study of plant-microbe interactions in environmental stressed conditions and their potential to improve crop production. In 2014 she has been elected as a member of Global Young Academy and in same year she has been awarded with Alexander Von Humboldt Fellowship and begins her research as senior scientist at Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) Germany. She has over 80 peer-reviewed publications in international journals and 40 chapters.
Dr. Parvaiz is Senior Assistant Professor in Department of Botany at Sri Pratap College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. He has completed his postgraduation in Botany in 2000 from Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India. After receiving a Doctorate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, India, he joined the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, in 2007. His main research area is Stress Physiology, Molecular Biology and Microbiology. He has published more than 60 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and 40 book chapters. He is also an Editor of 19 volumes (1 with Studium Press Pvt. India Ltd., New Delhi, India, 9 with Springer NY USA, 5 with Elsevier USA and 4 with John Wiley). He is a recipient of the Junior Research Fellowship and Senior Research Fellowship by CSIR, New Delhi, India. Dr. Parvaiz has been awarded the Young Scientist Award under Fast Track scheme in 2007 by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India. Dr. Parvaiz is actively engaged in studying the molecular and physio-biochemical responses of different agricultural and horticultural plants under environmental stress.
