Activities
‘शारदा शक्ति' – 2026
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane delivered a talk for the series “वैज्ञानिक आपल्या भेटीला ” through ‘शारदा शक्ति’ on 27th june 2026, on the topic entitled ‘शोधाचा आनंद’ for more thaan 60+ school students.
Research Interns
Mugdha Ekbote and Komal Zalte are research interns from the Plant–Insect Biology Lab. Mugdha Ekbote completed her Master’s thesis at the Plant–Insect Biology Lab, working on plant–insect interactions, and has been selected for the Ph.D. program in the Synthetic Cell Biology Lab under Dr. Saravanan Palani at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Komal Zalte is currently a Summer Research Fellow at IIT Hyderabad, where she is working in the Computational Biology Lab on bacterial genomics.
IBB Interns
Avanti Dhamdhere, Komal Zalte, and Dhanashree Bansode completed their B.Sc. thesis at the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology (IBB) merged with Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, under the guidance of Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane.
IBB Interns
Workshop on Plate making organised at IBB, Dept. of Biotechnology for 1st and 2nd year students, in which Dr. Jagdish guided the students for making scientific biological plates of plants.
Our PhD scholar
Our PhD scholar Ms. Supriya Acharya just defended her PhD entitled “Molecular and functional characterization of specialized flavonoid biosynthesis pathway from a rare tree, Oroxylum indicum” on 27th January 2026
Congradulations Dr. Supriya Acharya, for defending her PhD
Millets Project
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane delivered a talk on the millets project at a conference in Dept. of Botony, Savitribai Phule Pune University on 7th Jan 2026
Women’s Day Celebration – 2025
The Department of Biotechnology celebrated International Women’s Day with enthusiasm and insightful discussions. The event featured interactive sessions with esteemed speakers Dr. Gandhali Bapat and Dr. Swati Shukla, who shared their experiences on academia-industry collaborations and offered valuable perspectives to students.
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane also engaged with the students, especially the young women in the department, offering guidance and motivation for their academic and professional journeys.
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane Joins Organizing Secretary of AIM 2025.
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane is part of the organizing committee of the upcoming Biotechnology Academia-Industry Meet 2025 (AIM 2025). This prestigious event, hosted by the Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) on 29th -30th April, 2025, is centered around innovation and impactful collaboration. AIM 2025 aims to foster strong partnerships between academia and industry, opening doors to transformative research and development opportunities.
Biotechnology Dissertation Projects by M.Sc. Students - Abasaheb Garware College
Vaishnavi Umbrajkar, Aditi Kulkarni, Shruti Sutar and Chaitrali Chodankar.
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane Invited as a Speaker at International Conference on Biosciences for Harmony with Nature held from 16th–18th January 2025.
She delivered a talk on the topic:
“Unraveling the Molecular Mechanism of Plant Defensin Action on the Insect Pest Helicoverpa armigera: Insights from Transcriptomics and Proteomics.
Pre-Synopsis Presentation by Miss Supriya Kamalkrishan Acharya
The Pre-Synopsis Presentation was held at the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology building, Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Monday, 6th January 2025 Miss Supriya Kamalkrishan Acharya presented her research work on Characterization of Specialized Flavonoid Biosynthesis Pathway from a Rare Tree.
KISAN Agri Show Exhibition:
MATIMOL - 'Apli Mati Jivant Ahe Ka?'
From 10th to 14th December 2024, the KISAN Agri Show Exhibition featured an engaging initiative,
MATIMOL: Apli Mati Jivant Ahe Ka?
This unique event brought together students from the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology and the Department of Microbiology, as well as students from Abasaheb Garware College.
During the exhibition, students connected with farmers to uncover the ground-level realities they face. The program included:
Interactive Sessions: Farmers participated in discussions about soil health, farming practices, and organic farming.
Soil Awareness: Farmers were introduced to soil testing kits and briefed about the importance of soil vitality.
Questionnaires: Small surveys helped gauge farmers’ knowledge about soil health.
Fun Games: Engaging activities for farmers made learning enjoyable.
The initiative provided valuable insights into the challenges of sustainable agriculture and fostered awareness among the farming community, helping bridge the gap between academic research and practical farming needs.
Seminar on Woody Species Diversification by
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane,
at National Chemical Laboratory.
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane delivered an insightful talk on “Diversification Trends in Woody Species Communities Along the Northern Western Ghats, India” on Friday, 8th November 2024, at the Biochemical Science Division of CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory organized by Humboldt Academy
Field Visit to Chalkhewadi for Utricularia Species Study
On 19th September 2024, a field visit was conducted to Chalkhewadi, Maharashtra for the study of Utricularia species. The team examined the abundance of Utricularia species and their associated surrounding flora using the quadrant method.
The identification of species was guided by renowned botanists, Dr. Aparna Watve and Dr. Charuta Gole, whose expertise enriched the study.
Best Oral Presentation Award
National conference on Plant ‘omics’: Recent trends and Applications.
Ms. Supriya Acharya got – Best Oral Presentation Award on 22nd Feb 2024
The conference was organised by Dept. of Botany, Savitribai Phule Pune University.
Pre-Submission Seminar by Mr. Javed Mulla
The Pre-Submission Seminar was successfully conducted at the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University,on Friday, 22nd December 2023. Mr. Javed Mulla presented his research work on the topic:
“THIONIN AND DEFENSIN PEPTIDES FROM CAPSICUM FOR EVALUATION OF THEIR INSECT DEFENSE POTENTIAL.”
Ms. Srushti Bhagwat has been Awarded with Junior Research Fellowship from Lady Tata Memorial Trust (24th July 2023)
Heartiest Congratulations!!!
Ms. Srushti Bhagwat has joined the plant and insect biology lab as a Ph.D. student in May 2022. She has been working on the antifungal activity of modified defensin peptides. For the similar line of work she has been awarded as a Junior Research Scholar position by Lady Tata Memorial Trust.
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane’s visit to Weizmann Institute of Science as a SERB SIRE fellow (Nov 22- April 23)
Dr. Vaijayanti Tamhane received the SERB SIRE fellowship which gave her an opportunity for 6 month research project at @Prof. Asaph Aharoni Lab, Department of Plant and Environmental Science, Weizmann Institute of Sciences, Israel.
International Conference on ‘Plant Genetic Engineering and Genome Editing’
Supriya Acharya bagged First Prize in Oral Presentation at International Conference on ‘Plant Genetic Engineering and Genome Editing’ (29th Oct 2022) at Central University Kerala, India.
R for Omics Data Analysis (21st to 23rd June 2022)
As a part of SERB CRG SSR initiative, we organized a three-day workshop “R for Omics Data Analysis” in collaboration with the Department of Statistics, SPPU on 21st to 23rd June 2022. More than 65+ faculty members and students joined from all over Pune in offline mode, whereas 100+ joined through online mode.
