Monika Kajal

As a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Institution for Science, exploring green algae's secondary metabolites for biotech, medicine, and biofuels. With a PhD in Biotechnology, uncovered microRNAs in medicinal plants, published in Plant Science, BMC Plant Biology , and contributed to UNIDO's tech transfer project. Passionate about biotech and molecular biology, Aiming to address global challenges in agriculture and health.

• University Grant Commission- National Eligibility Test- Junior Research Fellowship, 06/2013
• Travel grant from the Department of Biotechnology- Conference, Travel, Exhibition, and Popular Lectures (DBT-CTEP) Programme to attend an International conference (Proposal ID DBT/CTEP/02/201601541).

• Plant Science, IF:3.71, Ravneet Kaur, Shivalika Pathania, Monika Kajal, Vasundhara Thakur, Jagdeep Kaur, Kashmir Singh. "Integrated analysis of smRNAome, transcriptome, and degradome data to decipher microRNAs regulating costunolide biosynthesis in Saussurea lappa" Plant Science. (2023) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111689
• BMC Plant Biology, Springer Nature, IF:4.960, Monika Kajal, and Kashmir Singh. "Small RNA profiling for identification of miRNAs involved in regulation of saponins biosynthesis in Chlorophytum borivilianum." BMC plant biology 17.1 (2017): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-0171214-0
• Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Springer Nature, IF:1.238, Singh, Kashmir, Avneesh Kumar, Monika Kajal, and Baljinder Singh. "Characterization and expression analysis of chalcone synthase and chalcone isomerase genes in Phyllanthus emblica (L.)." Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology 28 (2019): 105-113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13562-018-0467-5(
• Non-coding RNA Research, Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications, IF:5.98, Monika Kajal, Nishant Kaushal, and Kashmir Singh. "Identification of novel microRNAs and their targets in Chlorophytum borivilianum by small RNA and degradome sequencing." Non-coding RNA Research 4.4 (2019): 141-154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncrna.2019.11.004
• Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology, IF:1.11, Nishant Kaushal, Anshu Alok, Monika Kajal, and Kashmir Singh. "Regeneration and genetic fidelity analysis of Chlorophytum borivilianum Using Flower Stalk as Explant Source." Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology 12, no. 04 (2021): 95. https://doi.org/10.4236/abb.2021.124007

• Aerial Sensing and Imaging Analysis for Crop and Livestock Management, Advances in aerial sensing and imaging, Wiley, Monika Kajal, Aditi Chauhan
• An Introduction to Deep Learning based Object Recognition and Tracking for Enabling Defense Applications, Advances in aerial sensing and imaging, Wiley, Nitish Mahajan, Aditi Chauhan, Monika Kajal

• Introduction to SQL, Sololearn, 03/2024
• 'Technology Commercialization', University of Rochester, Coursera, 04/16/23
• e-Tutorial on using patent information” (DL-177) , WIPO, 03/30/23
• Introduction to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT-101), WIPO, 2016
• Specialized Course on The Essentials of Patents” (DL-170), WIPO, 11/2022
• Purification and Characterization of Peroxidase from Fruit and Leaves of Neolamarckia cadamba (Kadam), 6 months, 01/01/13 - 06/30/13
• General Techniques in Plant Tissue Culture and Effect of Different Growth Regulators on in-vitro Rooting of Mulethi, Center for Plant Biotechnology, Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, Dr. Subhash Kajla (Sr. Scientist), 1 month, 06/01/12 - 06/30/12
• Genomics, Transformation & Molecular markers, Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, Dr. K.S Boora (Sr. Scientist), 3 weeks, 06/17/10 - 07/07/10

• Reviewer for reputed journals such as Plant Cell, and Frontiers in Plant Science.
• Moderator, CRIKC-CII Exhibition cum "Industry-Academia Meet", Technology Enabling Centre, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, 11/12/22
• Trainer, Hands-On Training Program on Advances in Functional Genomics & Gene Editing, Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, 11/14/22 - 11/20/22
• Canteen Secretary, Laxmi Bai Hostel, 2018-2019
• Class Representative, Bachelors of Science III- Biotechnology (Honors School), 2010-2011
• Member, Organizing Committee, Agaaz-2009, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

• Access to Medicines, TRIPS And Patents in The Developing World, Third World Network (TWN) and Inter-University Centre for IPR Studies (IUCIPRS), Kochi, India, 12/10/22, 12/14/22
• Next generation Sequence Analysis, De Life, 07/22/22, 08/18/22
• IP awareness /Training program, Intellectual Property Office, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, 07/09/22
• Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Regulatory Perspective for Pharma & Biotech Sectors, DST-Centre for Policy Research, Panjab University, 02/22/17, 02/23/17
• Biological Threat Reduction and Transportation Workshop, Sandia National Laboratories, USA, Chandigarh, 04/03/14, 04/09/14
• Trends in the Evolutionary System Biology & Computational Structural Dynamics, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur, H.P, 03/23/15, 03/24/15

• International Meet on Frontiers in Life Science, Amritsar, India, 03/22/18, Unravelling miRNAs mediated regulation of saponin biosynthetic pathway in Chlorophytum borivilianum
• EMBO|EMBL Symposium: The Non-Coding Genome 2017, Heidelberg, Germany, MM/DD/YY, Identification and characterization of miRNAs regulating secondary metabolism in Chlorophytum borivilianum
• 11th Chandigarh Science Congress, CHASCON 2017, Chandigarh, India, 03/09/17 - 03/11/17, Deep sequencing of small RNA for identification of known and novel miRNAs in Chlorophytum borivilianum

• Trained technical trainees, masters and undergraduate students on strategies in gene cloning and functional analysis for techniques like RNA isolation, agarose gel electrophoresis, cDNA synthesis, PCR, gene cloning, and bacterial cell transformation.
• As a teaching assistant for Dr. Kashmir Singh, I supervised the following two Master's thesis: a) Screening of Transcriptome data for the Identification of Argonaute Protein Sequences in Chlorophytum borivilianum. b) Cloning of genes involved in RNA silencing machinery in Chlorophytum borivilianum

• Prof. Arthur Grossman (Ph.D.), Department of Plant Biology, CArnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, USA, agrossman@carnegiescience.edu
• Prof. Kashmir Singh (Ph. D.), Department of Biotechnology, DST-Centre for Policy Research, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, kashmirbio@pu.ac.in, kashmir123@gmail.com, +91-9501684096, 0172-2534085
• Prof. Jagdeep Kaur (Ph. D.), Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, jagsekhon@pu.ac.in, jagsekhon@yahoo.com, +91-9872846201