Arjula Ramachandra Reddy is a biologist who did research in the field of genetics and plant biotechnology. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore. He is an Alexander von Himboldt Fellow, Germany, at Max Planck Institute fur Zichtungsforsching, Cologne, Rockefeller Foundation Carrier Biotechnogy Fellow, at Purdue University, USA. After obtaining a Ph. D., from Osmania University, he moved on to USA where he did research in genetics both at Iowa State University and Johns Hopkins University. He then joined the faculty of the University of Hyderabad in 1978, and has been at the university since. Prof. Reddy played an important role in establishing several national and international collaborations, and developing advanced research programs using cutting edge technologies such as functional genomics, association genetics and genetic engineering. He is the first vice-chancellor of Yogi Vemana University Kadapa; A. P, India during 2006-2009 and also second term, 2010-2013. He was Co-chair of Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, 2009–12, of Ministry of Env&Forrests, Govt. Of India. He served as a member of the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India; Science Panel member, the Department for International Development/ Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the UK Government, 2006-2007. He is currently a member of Board Of Governors, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, AP, India. His research interests are: capturing differentially expressed genes during drought stress, cloning and functional analysis of promoter regions of target genes of drought response; isolation and characterization of family of drought responsive transcriptional activators; study of processes and pathways that are common to drought, salt and submergence; expression profiling of stress responsive genes. Currently, he is a Professor Emeritus, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, TS, India. He has to credit more than 50 publications to his credit in reputed international and national peer reviewed journals. He has guided 25 Ph. D students besides training huge number of Post Graduate students. He is currently working on genome analysis of lice and the application of NextGen Sequencing Technologies in Crop Improvement.
