Professor Olubukola Oluranti Babalola (Pr.Sci.Nat, MASSAF, FASLP, FTWAS, FAS, FAAS), Vice-President of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and Vice-President of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) (Africa region) is an NRF-rated scientist, an MBA graduate, a Director and Principal Investigator at NWU. After a PhD with a Fellowship from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and OWSD, she had postdoctoral experiences at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. She has over 20 years of experience focusing on rhizosphere metagenomics. She is a member or International Advisor to several editorial boards and has completed the supervision of 31 doctoral fellows, 24 masters, and numerous Honors students. Prof Babalola has more than 300 publications. Her international experience spans the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania including research grants and international partnerships across the globe.
Joginder Singh Panwar is a Professor in the Department of Botany at Nagaland University, Lumami, India. His previous appointments include a professorship at the School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, and a Young Scientist position at the Microbial Biotechnology and Biofertilizer Laboratory at Jai Narain Vyas University, funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. He is an active member of several scientific societies, including the Association of Microbiologists of India and the European Federation of Biotechnology. Dr. Singh has an extensive publication record across books and journals, and he also regularly serves as a reviewer for numerous prestigious international journals He has published extensively with Elsevier and Springer both in journals and books. He serves as a reviewer for many prestigious journals. He actively participates and presents at national and international scientific conferences and events.
Gustavo Santoyo is a Professor of Agrogenomics at the Institute of Chemical and Biological Research, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Mexico. He holds two BSc degrees, one in Biology and the other in Psychology. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Dr. Santoyo conducted postdoctoral studies at the Center for Cancer Research, The National Institutes of Health, USA, and was a visiting professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. His current research focuses on elucidating plant–soil–microbe interactions and on investigations in agrogenomics. He is a prolific book author/editor and journal reviewer. He serves as a Special Content Editor for Microbiological Research (Elsevier) and as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Plant Sciences (Frontiers), Journal of Advanced Research (Elsevier), and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (Springer). He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and holds the Nivel III distinction in the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores of Mexico. In 2024, he received the State Award for Science, Technology, and Innovation, granted by the Government of the State of Michoacán.
Ajay Kumar is currently an Assistant Professor at the Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, India. He previously served as a Visiting Scientist at the Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Israel (2018–2022), and completed his doctoral research at the Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, focusing on plant–microbe interactions. Dr. Kumar’s research expertise spans plant–microbe interactions, microbial biocontrol, postharvest fruit disease management, microbial endophytes of medicinal plants, and cyanobacteria–pesticide interactions. He is a prolific author in leading international journals and is also actively engaged in academic editing with major publishers such as Elsevier, Springer, CRC Press, and Wiley. Dr. Kumar currently serves as an Associate Editor for
Frontiers in Microbiology and
BMC Microbiology, a Guest Editor for
Microorganisms and Plants (MDPI), and a Series Editor for
Plant and Soil Microbiome (Elsevier).
