Dr. Abhimanyu Sarkar is a scientist at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, U.K., working on the genomics and genetics of the legume grass pea (Lathyrus sativus). He and his colleagues have recently sequenced the genome of grass pea and are developing extensive genomic resources for development of this neglected pulse crop.
Previously he worked in the Forage Improvement Group at the Grasslands Research Centre of AgResearch Ltd., Palmerston North, New Zealand on the molecular biology and genomics of the forage legume, white clover (Trifolium repens). He led the project to develop TILLING platforms for clover and other forage crops and also worked on the phosphorus efficiency traits in white clover. He has extensive experience in molecular biology and development of novel gene vectors, transgenesis methodologies and tools in a wide range of organisms. His areas of expertise include transposable elements, gene discovery and genomics. He obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park, U.S.A. He also has a M.Sc. in Genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India and a B.Sc. degree in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry from the Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, India.