Srinagar , Apr 03: Dr. Ufaq Fayaz, a scholar from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST- K), has been awarded the esteemed BioCARe Fellowship 2024-25 by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. This highly competitive fellowship aims to empower women scientists by providing financial and academic support to advance their careers in science and technology.
Dr. Ufaq completed her Ph.D at Division of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Horticulture, SKUAST-K under the guidance of Prof. Syed Zameer Hussain. During her doctoral research, she has extensively worked on the flavor profiling and gene expression studies of indigenous aromatic rice variety (Mushk Budiji) of Kashmir grown at different altitudes. Her research work is published in high impact journals like Scientific Reports, Food Chemistry:X etc. Her findings were also published in the national newspaper- The Hindu on March 28, 2024.
During her BioCARe Fellowship, she will be awarded a research grant of ₹53.59 lakhs, including the fellowship of ₹ 27 lakhs and a research contingency of ₹26.59 lakhs for a period of three years. She has been awarded BioCARe Fellowship for the research titled “Metabolomics analysis of Highland Himalayan rice fermented with medicinal fungi: Unveiling the enhancement of nutritional properties for functional food development”. This study aims to improve the bioavailability of essential nutrients and bioactive compounds of Mushk Budiji rice.
