Ms. Nishu

Plants can influence soil properties by altering organisms, root exudates and physical properties. These changes can increase or decrease subsequent plant growth, which is usually called plant-soil feedback (PSF). Meanwhile, aboveground herbivores can induce changes in soil properties, which greatly influence secondary metabolite accumulation and aboveground multitrophic interactions of succeeding plants. Her research focuses on an in-depth study of the impact of aboveground herbivory on PSF in agricultural plant-insect interactions. This study would therefore provide an understanding of the context of other drivers that may structure plant community composition and functioning. Currently, she is working as a Researcher at Kochi University, Japan, on the project "Microbial

Community Dynamics in the Life Cycle of Agar-Producing Gelidium elegans and Its Effect on Algal Biomass Production." Her research investigates the dynamics of seaweed-associated microbial communities across different developmental stages of G. elegans and examines how these microbial interactions influence algal growth, biomass production, and overall holobiont health. By integrating microbial ecology with marine biotechnology, her work aims to advance the understanding of beneficial seaweed-microbe interactions and contribute to the sustainable cultivation and utilization of economically important agar-producing seaweeds.

Academic Qualifications

1. Currently pursuing Ph.D. from University of Delhi and Research fellow in Animal Plant Interaction lab, Dept of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi since 2023.

2. M.Sc. (Zoology) Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (2021)

3. B.Sc. (Life Science) Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (2019)

Publications

1. Noor, S. A., Verma, K., Nishu, Hussain, B., & Mathur, V.* (2026). Deciphering Role of Endophytes in Plant Defences and Biotic Stress Resilience Across Families. Plant, Cell & Environment.

2. Nishu, Verma, K., Noor, S. A., & Mathur, V.* (2026). Aboveground insect herbivory shapes plant–soil feedback and ecosystem resilience. Biologia Futura, 1-20.

3. Verma, K., Sharma, G., Sinha, P.G., Nishu & Mathur, V.* (2024). Identifying Bacteria from Urban Soil for Degrading Soil Organic Contaminants of Emerging Concern. Water Air & Soil Pollution 235, 797.

Book Chapters

1. Nishu, Mathur, V., & Sinha, P. G.* (2024). Food and Nutritional Security Under the Changing Climate: Understanding the Established and Indeterminate Factors. In Food Production, Diversity, and Safety Under Climate Change (pp. 25-38). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

2. Nishu, Rahul, Noor, S.A. & Mathur, V.* (2025). Allelochemicals and Their Impact on Tri-trophic Interactions. Springer (accepted).

3. Mishra, R., Rahul, Nishu, & Mathur, V.* (2025). Quality Science Education: Role of Digital Technologies in the Developing World. In Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Springer (accepted).

Seminars/Workshops/Webinar

1. Attended the hands-on workshop on “Bioinformatics Workshop For Genomic and Proteomics Analysis”, organised by School of Allied Sciences, Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand University from 29th January to 4th February, 2024.

2. Attended the hands-on workshop on “Metagenomic Sequencing and Analysis: 16S and WGS” organised by Internal Quality Assurance Cell and Mikrobiologika, Department of Microbiology, Ram Lal Anand College, University of Delhi in association with Biokart India Ltd on 10th October, 2023.

3. Attended 35-lectures of “Add-on course on Basic Biostatistics” organised by Department of Zoology, Hindu College under the aegis of IQAC from 17th July to 3rdOctober, 2023.

4. Participated in a National hands-on workshop on “Techniques in Molecular Biology” (Under DBT-Builder) organized by the Department of Biotechnology, Modern College, Ganeshkhind from 13thto 16th September, 2023.

5. Participation in the Quiz on Lifestyle for Environment (LIFE) organized by SVKM’s Mithibai College, Vile Parle, on 17th May, 2023.

6. Participated in the Webinar on “Why is Carbon footprinting important?” by SVKM’s Mithibai College of Arts, Chauhan Institute of Science & Amrutben JivanlalCollege of Commerce and Economics, Vile Parle -West Mumbai on 16th May, 2023.

7. Participated in the Webinar on “Review Article Writing” by Research Graduate on 25thFebruary, 2023.

8. Participated in a One Week Online Faculty Development Programme on “Advanced Technologies in Life Sciences” by CIIDRET and DSSEED in collaboration with Hansraj College, University of Delhi, held from 6th -11th February, 2023.

9. Participated in the Webinar on “Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis” by Research Graduate, on 11th February, 2023.

10. Participated in a 3-day Webinar on “Web of Science Training and Certification Program” by Clarivate from 30th Jan -3rdFebruary, 2023.

11. Attended workshop on “Managing References made easy using Mendeley” by University of Delhi, on Wednesday 25 May, 2022.

Other Achievements

1. Qualified CSIR National Eligibility Test (NET) for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), June 2021

2. Received a fellowship on entitled “Microbial Community Dynamics in the Life Cycle of Agar-Producing Gelidium elegans and Its Effect on Algal Biomass Production” at Kochi University, Japan under the Indo-Japan Circulation of Talented Youth in Science Program (FY2025) from 16 th March 2026 to 15 th October 2026.