Kaviraj Singh

Biography

I was born and raised in Punjab, India. I earned my bachelor’s in agriculture with honors in plant breeding, genetics, and biotechnology from Punjab Agricultural University, India. I earned my doctorate in Crop Science from Washington State University, Pullman (Major advisor: Kulvinder S. Gill). My Ph.D. research was focused on understanding the genetic and physiological mechanisms of day and night-time heat stress tolerance related to photosynthesis and key agronomic traits in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). As a part of my dissertation, I did the identification and mapping of QTLs and their corresponding candidate genes controlling high night-time temperature stress tolerance in wheat. Additionally, I worked on the molecular characterization of the Rubisco activase gene for its role in thermotolerance in wheat. My research work has been published in The Plant Genome, Theoretical and Applied Genetics, and Plant Molecular Biology journals.

I currently work as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Plant Pathology (Major advisor: Maren Friesen). My postdoctoral research is focused on understanding the beneficial plant-microbe interactions, especially the microbes involved in biological nitrogen fixation (diazotrophs). I am characterizing the community compositions, community structures, and functions of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria under various environments, different soil regimes, and multiple cropping systems including wheat and canola. Furthermore, my research aims to understand the effects of various tillage strategies (no-till vs conventional) on soil health and diazotroph community composition and structure.