Speakers
Dr. Vibha Dhawan
Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Dr. Vibha Dhawan is associated with The Energy and
Resources and Institute since 1985. She also served as the
Vice-Chancellor of TERI School of Advanced Studies from
2005-2007. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of
Sciences, India.
Dr Dhawan is actively involved in research as well as policy development, both at the national
and international level. She is a task force member of a number of committees of the Department
of Biotechnology (DBT), the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC),
the Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) etc.
She is currently serving as Adjunct Professor, Consul General South Asia Partnership, Michigan
State University. She has successfully completed a number of international assignments such
as Co-ordinator for the Asia Pacific Consortium on Agriculture Biotechnology (APCoAB);
Advisor to Director General, The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre
(CIMMYT); and Deputy Director, Research Partnerships & Co-ordination with the Borlaug
Institute for South Asia. She has served on the boards of prestigious organizations in India and
overseas including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ambedkar University, Ayurvet Foundation
and Centre for Bioscience and Agriculture International (CABI).
Dr Dhawan as a researcher was instrumental in the establishment of the highly successful
Micropropagation Technology Park at TERI. Her other major achievements include developing
e-contents for the post-graduate programme in biotechnology for the University Grants
Commission. Her recent research interests are in the area of biofuels. She is currently the
coordinator of the DBT-TERI Centre on Integrated Production of Advanced Biofuels and
Biocommodities. She was Advisor, Bio-resources & Biotechnology, to the Late Tarun Gogoi,
the former Chief Minister of Assam.
She is the winner of Indian Women Achievers Sammaan 2017 by NRI Achievers; Women
Leadership Agriculture Award 2016 by the Indian Council of Food & Agriculture; First Biotech
Product and Process Development and Commercialization Award of the Department of
Biotechnology in 2000, the Kamal Kumari National Award for Science and Technology and the
first All India Biotech Association (AIBA) award in 1998.
She has authored 6 books and over 50 publications.
