Dr Sunil Chandra Dubey, Assistant Director General (Plant Protection and Biosafety), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi has been appointed new Vice Chancellor of Birsa Agricultural University (BAU), Ranchi for three years. A notification to this effect was issued by Governor’s Secretariat on December 20.

Born in Gorakhpur (UP) on 02 February 1963, Dubey got his early education in Gorakhpur and obtained B Sc (Ag), M.Sc. (Plant Pathology) and Ph.D. (Plant Pathology) degrees from Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur.
He started his career as Assistant Professor cum Junior Scientist in 1989 at Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi. He served as Associate Professor cum Senior Scientist from 1998 to 2001 at BAU, as Principal Scientist from 2001-2014 at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. Appointed as Head, Plant Quarantine (2014-2021) and Director (Acting), 2016, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi. In 2021, he was appointed Assistant Director General of ICAR.

He is specialised in fungal plant pathology in areas of diversity analysis, race profiling, diagnostics, epidemiology and management of plant diseases using host resistance and bio-agents with special reference to diseases of pulse crops. Diversity, diagnostics, host-pathogen interaction and management of fungal plant pathogens have been his major areas of research. He has to his credit about 200 research papers published in reputed National and International journals, patent application for Trichoderma based bio-formulations, submission of over 500 gene sequences to NCBI GeneBank database and has been associated in release of several varieties of chickpea and rice.
Earlier he bagged Young Scientist Award of Birsa Agricultural University (1998); Prof. K.P.V. Menon Best Poster Paper Award; Dastur Memorial Lecture Award (2015); Indian National Science Academy Fellowship (2004). He has been member of Advisory Committee, Journal of Bioscience Discovery, Jalna; Senior Editor, Indian Phytopathology (2017 to 2019); Editor, Journal of Mycology and Plant Pathology, (2005-2006); Associate Editor, Indian Phytopathology (2010-2011); Member, Editorial Board, Plant Disease Research (2007-2015); Member, Editorial Board, Annals of Plant Protection Sciences (2003-2006); President, National Society of Plant Pathologists (2021); Joint Secretary, Indian Phytopathological Society, New Delhi, (2004-2006) and Treasurer, Journal of Research (BAU), Ranchi (1995- 2001). Currently he is Fellow of National Academy of Biological Sciences (NABS), Tamil Nadu; Indian Society of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Udaipur and Indian Phytopathological Society, New Delhi.