Department of Botany

The Department of Botany was instituted in the Postgraduate Centre of the University of Madras in 1972. The Department is offering M.Sc. in Plant Science, M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes in Botany in the fields of Mycology, Microbiology, Plant Physiology, Nutraceuticals and Phytomedicine, Tissue culture and Reproductive Biology, Genetics and Plant Breeding and Plant systematics.

The Department instituted a new Masters programme in Bioinformatics for the first time in the country during 2001 which has been elevated as an independent Department in the year 2006. The Department is also offering a P.G. Diploma in Horticulture for M. Sc. Plant Science students with a view of promoting employment oppurtunities. So far the Department has produced 85 Ph.D. and 185 M.Phil scholars. At present there are 18 Ph.D. scholars, 6 M.Phil scholars and 38 M.Sc. students.

Apart from 7 books / monographs, the faculty members and students have published a total of 750 research papers in both National and International journals. The faculty members participated in 161 conferences at various levels. The Department has organized 30 symposia / conferences / refresher courses / workshops. The faculty members have so far completed 27 research projects funded by various national and international agencies apart from 6 ongoing projects.

This Department is also actively involved in Industrial collaboration and consultancy service. The Department has a MoU with the Chinese Academy of Sciences for scientific collaboration in the areas of Biodiversity Conservation, Energy Crops and Herbal Medicine. The faculty and students have made academic visits to countries including USA, U.K., Japan, Singapore, Germany, China, France, Thailand and Malaysia.

The Department is recognised by various agencies including DST-FIST level – 1 in 2011 and 2018 and UGC – SAP – DRS I (2016-2021) for creating sophisticated infrastructural facilities.

Department has collaboration with National and International institutes such as DRDO - (Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Ladakh), ICMR, Mizoram University, IFGTB (Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Coimbatore), University of Johanessberg, 

• Biodiversity conservation
• Plant systematics and ethnobotany
• BIoprospecting of Medicinal plants
• Root and soil Microbiology
• Plant tissue culture
• Plant Molecular biology and Genetic Engineering
• Plant ecology and Phytoremediation
• Biomedical Research

1. Prof. K. K. Lakshmanan
2. Prof. K. Udhayan
3. Prof. K. Janardhanan
4. Prof. K. Francis
5. Prof. S. Manian
6. Prof. V. Narmadhabai
7. Prof. V.R.K. Reddy
8. Prof. V.S. Ramachandran
9. Dr. T. Sekar