Bhavana S. Agrawal

e-mail:

Education

M.Sc. Department of Plant Science
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Vancouver, Canada, May 2006.

M.Sc. Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology
Pantnagar, India, Sept 2000.

B.Sc. (Honors) Agriculture and Animal Husbandry
major: Plant Breeding
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology
Pantnagar, India, August 1998.

Professional Experience

Project Fellow
National Research Center on Plant Biotechnology
Delhi, Oct 2000 - Oct 2001.

Awards, Scholarships and Honors

1. Pacific Agriculture Research Center Canada, Research Assistantship (2002- 2004).
2. University of British Columbia, Dr. Terry Swanson Memorial Scholarship (2003).
3. University of British Columbia, Dr. John Yortson Memorial Prize (2002).
4. Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, Fellowship (1998-2000).
5. Government of India Scholarships (1989 & 1990).
6. University Merit Certificate in BSc Agriculture (1998).

Research

Large areas of land are contaminated with heavy metals such as Nickel (Ni) and this contamination poses a persistent problem and concern due to the potential reactivity, toxicity and mobility of the Ni in the soil. There are certain natural hyperaccumulator plants, such as Alyssum murale that have the remarkable ability to solubilize and speciate unavailable forms of Ni. These plants accumulate high concentrations of Ni in their shoots without suffering the detrimental effects of Ni toxicity. It is known that natural hyperaccumulators do not use acidification of the rhizosphere to enhance their metal uptake. Root-soil interactions in the rhizosphere have been studied extensively and include several processes that have an important influence on the availability and solubility of Ni compounds. However, still little is known regarding role of root exudates in the solubilization of unavailable forms of Ni. My research interests are to elucidate the role of root exudates and rhizosecretions of Alyssum murale in speciation, translocation and accumulation of unavailable forms of Ni from soil.