Dr. Sopory is a Senior Emeritus Scientist at ICGEB and former vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. Until 2011, he was the group leader of plant molecular biology and Director ( Interim) at ICGEB, New Delhi. He discovered the involvement of the glyoxalase system in plant cell stress response, by demonstrating that genetic engineering of the glyoxalase pathway leads to enhanced salinity tolerance; and that methylglyoxal levels in plants under stress are dependent on the enzyme glyoxalase I and glutathione.

Dr. Sopory has been working towards understanding the mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance in plants. His Group has underscored the role of different genes and, more specifically,  the glyoxalase pathway, in stress tolerance. Cross talk between different stresses and light responses in regulating the expression of genes, including regulation via microRNAs, is under investigation. Currently, the Group is working to understand the molecular basis of stress priming mediated responses and stress memory. He is a fellow of all science academies of India, and the winner of the Bhatnagar, Maheshwari, and Saligram Sinha Awards of India. He was given the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards, by the President of India.