Texas Coalition for Sustainable Integrated Systems Research Program (TeCSIS)

Dinesh Kumar Saini is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Texas Tech University. His research focuses on molecular and conventional strategies for developing climate-resilient crops and forages for the region.

Background

Saini earned his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding from Punjab Agricultural University, India, where he received top academic honors, including the Chancellor Medal, University Gold Medal, and fellowships such as DST-INSPIRE and ICAR-SRF. He also earned multiple gold and silver medals, along with the Kisan Trust Prize, during his bachelor’s and master’s studies at Chaudhary Charan Singh University.

Previously, Saini was a postdoctoral research associate at Texas Tech under the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, focusing on ideotype breeding and developing climate-resilient sorghum germplasm. He also served as a research associate at South Dakota State University and as guest faculty at Chaudhary Charan Singh University.

Research Interests

Saini brings expertise in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics across different crops. His research spans trait mapping, molecular marker development, high-throughput phenotyping, and the integration of physiological and data-driven approaches to accelerate crop and forage improvement. Saini also contributes to graduate student mentoring, departmental teaching, and service activities.

His current research focuses on investigating the physiological, molecular, and histological mechanisms that promote increased climate resilience and yield potential in different crops and forages. He collaborates closely with breeders, physiologists and machine learning experts to develop cutting-edge tools and approaches for high throughput phenotyping and molecular breeding to develop robust and effective routes to improve crop productivity. His work holds significant promise for improving the sustainability and resilience of agriculture, especially in regions where water availability is a major constraint.