Ajay Kumar Parida
- July 19, 2022
- 58 years
About Ajay Kumar Parida
Ajay Kumar Parida, 58, Indian biologist, cardiac arrest.
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Full Biography
|Ajay Kumar Parida (12 December 1963 – 19 July 2022) was an Indian biologist noted for his contributions in the fields of agriculture, plant molecular biology and biotechnology. In 2014, Parida was awarded the Padma Shri Award by the President of India for his contribution in the field of Science and Technology.
Parida, who was born and raised in Bhagabanpur, a village in the Jajpur district of Odisha, was the Director of the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. ILS (www.ils.res.in) is an autonomous institution of the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India. He served as the Executive Director of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai during 2009–2017. He died from a heart attack on 19 July 2022 at the age of 58 in Guwahati.
Research
Parida's major scientific contribution is in the area of application of frontier technology for addressing major challenges in global and national declining agriculture productivity threatened due to climate change, sea level rise and reduced precipitation. His research was aimed at developing location specific crop varieties to cope with the adverse impact of climate change and has significant implications in bringing in stability and sustainability of the major farming systems.
Parida has used advanced biotechnological tools for crop improvement. He made contributions in identifying stress tolerant genes specifically for salt and drought stress.
Parida's research has also contributed to the basic understanding of the genetic architecture and species relationship in mangroves, and wild relatives of cultivated cereals, legumes and other cultivated crop species. He supervised 20 students for their Ph.D. degree. With more than 70 peer reviewed publications in international journals, Parida's research contributions have been widely cited and many of the publications are of significant value to increasing the basic understanding of the process and mechanisms associated with genetic resources characterization, conservation genetics, stress biology and biotechnology related policy issues.
Awards and recognition
Parida has won the following awards:
- Umakant Sinha Memorial Award by the Indian Science Congress Association[citation needed]
- B. M. Birla Science Prize by the Birla Science Foundation[citation needed]
- National Bioscience Award for Career Development by the Govt. of India[citation needed]
- NASI-Reliance Award for Application Oriented Research by National Academy of Sciences
- TATA innovation Fellowship of the Dept. of Biotechnology, Govt. of India[citation needed]
- Recognition Award from the National Academy of Agriculture Sciences
He was elected as President of the Agriculture Science and Forestry section of the Indian Science Congress in 2012. Dr. Parida was the President of Biological Sciences Session of the National Academy of Sciences India in 2014.
Parida was involved in application of science and technology for rural development. He has played an active role in organisation of school level Genome Clubs for creating awareness on relevant issues in biology and biotechnology that has been adopted as a national initiative of DNA clubs supported by the Govt. of India. He was actively involved in working with grassroots organizations and local communities in identifying the issues affecting food and livelihood security and providing solutions based on participatory problem solving and providing solutions.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajay_Kumar_Parida
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Ajay Kumar Parida's archived record and the sources above.
1.In which village was Ajay Kumar Parida born and raised?
- A.Bhagabanpurcorrect
- B.Chennai
- C.Bhubaneswar
- D.Jajpur
Ajay Kumar Parida was born and raised in the village of Bhagabanpur in the Jajpur district of Odisha.
Source: biographical introduction
2.What was the cause of Ajay Kumar Parida's death in 2022?
- A.Cardiac arrestcorrect
- B.Chronic illness
- C.Respiratory failure
- D.Accidental injury
Ajay Kumar Parida died from a heart attack, also described as cardiac arrest, in Guwahati at the age of 58.
Source: biographical introduction
3.Which prestigious award did Ajay Kumar Parida receive in 2014 from the President of India?
- A.Padma Shri Awardcorrect
- B.National Science Medal
- C.Padma Vibhushan
- D.Bharat Ratna
In 2014, Ajay Kumar Parida was awarded the Padma Shri Award by the President of India for his contribution in the field of Science and Technology.
Source: biographical introduction
4.Which organization did Ajay Kumar Parida serve as Executive Director between 2009 and 2017?
- A.M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundationcorrect
- B.National Academy of Sciences
- C.Institute of Life Sciences
- D.Indian Science Congress Association
Ajay Kumar Parida served as the Executive Director of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai during 2009–2017.
Source: biographical introduction
5.What primary environmental challenges was Ajay Kumar Parida's research aimed at addressing regarding agricultural productivity?
- A.Climate change, sea level rise, and reduced precipitationcorrect
- B.Overpopulation and urban sprawl
- C.Pest infestation and chemical runoff
- D.Soil erosion and deforestation
Ajay Kumar Parida's research aimed to address threats to agriculture productivity caused by climate change, sea level rise, and reduced precipitation.
Source: research section
6.For which two specific stress factors did Ajay Kumar Parida identify tolerant genes in crops?
- A.Acidic soil and heavy metals
- B.Heat and radiation
- C.Salt and droughtcorrect
- D.Frost and wind
Ajay Kumar Parida made significant contributions by identifying stress tolerant genes specifically for salt and drought stress.
Source: research section
7.Approximately how many students did Ajay Kumar Parida supervise for their Ph.D. degrees?
- A.50
- B.20correct
- C.70
- D.10
During his career, Ajay Kumar Parida supervised a total of 20 students for their Ph.D. degree.
Source: research section
8.Which of these awards was won by Ajay Kumar Parida?
- A.Fields Medal
- B.Green Revolution Award
- C.Umakant Sinha Memorial Awardcorrect
- D.Nobel Prize in Physiology
Ajay Kumar Parida won the Umakant Sinha Memorial Award, which was presented by the Indian Science Congress Association.
Source: awards and recognition section
9.In which city did Ajay Kumar Parida serve as the Director of the Institute of Life Sciences?
- A.Guwahati
- B.Chennai
- C.Bhubaneswarcorrect
- D.Jajpur
Ajay Kumar Parida was the Director of the Institute of Life Sciences, which is located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Source: biographical introduction
10.In what year was Ajay Kumar Parida elected as the President of the Agriculture Science and Forestry section of the Indian Science Congress?
- A.2014
- B.2009
- C.2012correct
- D.2017
Ajay Kumar Parida was elected as the President of the Agriculture Science and Forestry section of the Indian Science Congress in 2012.
Source: awards and recognition section
11.What initiative, initially started by Ajay Kumar Parida as school-level Genome Clubs, was later adopted as a national initiative?
- A.Biology Olympiads
- B.Science literacy outreach
- C.Agriculture research fellowships
- D.DNA clubscorrect
Ajay Kumar Parida organized school level Genome Clubs, which were later adopted as a national initiative of DNA clubs supported by the Govt. of India.
Source: awards and recognition section
12.Which specific category of plants did Ajay Kumar Parida study to understand genetic architecture and species relationships?
- A.Coniferous trees
- B.Ornamental flowers
- C.Tropical vines
- D.Mangrovescorrect
Ajay Kumar Parida's research contributed to the understanding of the genetic architecture and species relationships in mangroves.
Source: research section
13.How many peer-reviewed publications is Ajay Kumar Parida credited with in international journals?
- A.More than 100
- B.More than 30
- C.More than 70correct
- D.More than 50
The text notes that Ajay Kumar Parida has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications in international journals.
Source: research section
14.Which organization supported the DNA clubs that were based on Ajay Kumar Parida's original Genome Clubs?
- A.Birla Science Foundation
- B.National Academy of Agriculture Sciences
- C.Govt. of Indiacorrect
- D.Indian Science Congress Association
The DNA clubs, based on Ajay Kumar Parida's school level Genome Clubs, are supported by the Govt. of India.
Source: awards and recognition section
15.What position did Ajay Kumar Parida hold in the National Academy of Sciences India in 2014?
- A.President of the Biological Sciences Sessioncorrect
- B.National Bioscience Awardee
- C.Research Chair
- D.Executive Director
Dr. Ajay Kumar Parida served as the President of the Biological Sciences Session of the National Academy of Sciences India in 2014.
Source: awards and recognition section
16.What was the date of Ajay Kumar Parida's birth?
- A.12 December 1964
- B.19 July 1963
- C.19 July 1964
- D.12 December 1963correct
Ajay Kumar Parida was born on 12 December 1963 and passed away on 19 July 2022.
Source: biographical introduction
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