DR SUMAN SAHAI Chairperson of Gene Campaign, a grassroots level research and advocacy organisation The Campaign has worked in 17 states, conducting over 400 district and village level meetings over the years. Gene Campaign has worked together with a cross section of people including farming and tribal communities, academic institutions, government departments, political and activist groups, NGOs and students. It is linked to a large network of national and international organizations, which enables it to have a national and international outreach.
- Ph. D – Genetics.
- M.Sc.– Botany
- Research and Academic Work
- University of Heidelberg, Germany
- University of Chicago, USA.
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Dr Sahai has contributed significantly to framing national legislation on Farmers Rights Biodiversity and IPR and the protection of traditional medicines. She was a member of the Expert Committees set up to draft the Biodiversity Bill and the Plant Variety Protection and Farmers’ Rights Bill. Due to the scientific and technical inputs of Dr Sahai and the advocacy efforts of Gene Campaign and other organizations, India is the only country in the world that gave legal rights to its farmers over their seed Selected Awards
- Padma Shri
- Borlaug Award
- Knight of The Order of the Golden Ark
- Outstanding Woman Achiever Award, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce)
- Outstanding Woman Achiever Award, Lucknow Management Association.
- Birbal Sawhney Gold Medal.
Membership in some National & International Policy Forums
- Chairperson, Planning Commission Task Force on ‘Agro biodiversity and Genetically Engineered Organisms’ for the XIth Plan
- Member, Working Group for Community Agro-Biodiversity Conservation, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, Govt. of India
- Member, Expert Committee to develop Methodologies for Monitoring Environmental impacts of Genetically Modified Organisms in Crop Production, FAO, Rome
- Member, Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights and Indian Germplasm Resources, Govt of India
- Member, Steering Committee of the National Biodiversity Board.
- Member, Expert Committee to frame the National Biotechnology Policy.
- Member, Bioethics Committee of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
- Serving on the Research Advisory Committees of national scientific institutions such as the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) and National Academy of Agriculture Research Management (NAARM).
- Member, National Advisory Board on Management of Genetic Resources, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Govt. of India.
- Member, International NGO Steering Committee of Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR).
- Member, Board of Trustees, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.
- Member, Expert Group on WTO and CBD, Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India
- Witness, Parliamentary Select Committee on Patent Amendments.
- Witness, Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Dunkel Draft and IPR
Dr Sahai, has published extensively on science and policy issues, including 13 books, 17 book chapters and several hundred articles.