Dr. Pathipati Usha Rani is a Research Chemical Ecologist/Entomologist with the Biology and Biotechnology Division of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, India.
She received her Ph.D. in Entomology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India in 1983, After completing her Post Graduation from Kakateya University, Warangal, AP, she joined the Entomology Division of the Regional Research Laboratory for her PhD as a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Fellow. Her Doctoral Thesis explored the Attractant, Repellent and Toxic properties of certain plant products, and the sub lethal doses of certain well known pesticides followed by a study of insect sensillary morphology to better understand the role of these organs in chemical perception, natural essential oils as mosquito repellents etc.
Further she continued her research at the same place as CSIR Post-doctoral Fellow and CSIR Research Associate. In 1984 she started her employment as a scientist at Regional Research Laboratory which is later renamed as Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in 1989 and is continuing till today as a Senior Principal Scientist at the Biology and Biotechnology Division.
She did her postdoctoral training with Prof. Yoshio Tamaki and Dr. Sadao Wakamura from the laboratory of Insect Physiology and Behavior, National Institute of Seri cultural and Entomological Sciences, Tsukuba, Japan (one year).
She was a Visiting Scientist (hon) at Insect Science Division, Horticultural and Food Research Institute, New Zealand. (3 years).
Visiting Scientist at Department of Forest Entomology, Forest and Forest Product Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan. (3 months).
Research Interests and Experience
Usha Rani became a chemical ecologist to better understand how complex interactions between insects and plants are mediated. Chemical ecology examines the role of chemical signals that mediate the interactions between plants, animals, and their environment, as well as the behavioral consequences of these interactions. In the institute, she collaborates with organic chemists, biochemists, entomologists, behavioral scientists, geneticists and physiologists to unravel the complexity of chemical communication between plants and insect communities.
Her research focus on chemical communication and other chemical interactions between organisms, including volatile chemical signals, which later is expanded to include several plant and insect model systems, with the common goal of understanding how natural variation in chemical signals produced by plants is generated.
Her research also concerns the insect sensory morphology and physiology since the knowledge of behaviorally active chemicals and their perception is important in application-oriented work and also to unravel the complexity of chemical communication that occurs in nature. She is particularly interested in how plant chemistry influences interactions among plants, herbivores, and natural enemies and how insects integrate such information in their foraging behavior.
Another important area to which she has contributed tremendously is development of botanical pesticides. She has worked with about 40 indigenous plants and plant materials as well as medicinally important plants for their extractions, isolations and identification and chemical characterization followed by their screening for medical and agricultural importance. Some isolated botanical compounds have been developed into good insecticides and herbicides and has been patented.
She received her Ph.D. in Entomology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India in 1983, After completing her Post Graduation from Kakateya University, Warangal, AP, she joined the Entomology Division of the Regional Research Laboratory for her PhD as a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Fellow. Her Doctoral Thesis explored the Attractant, Repellent and Toxic properties of certain plant products, and the sub lethal doses of certain well known pesticides followed by a study of insect sensillary morphology to better understand the role of these organs in chemical perception, natural essential oils as mosquito repellents etc.
Further she continued her research at the same place as CSIR Post-doctoral Fellow and CSIR Research Associate. In 1984 she started her employment as a scientist at Regional Research Laboratory which is later renamed as Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in 1989 and is continuing till today as a Senior Principal Scientist at the Biology and Biotechnology Division.
She did her postdoctoral training with Prof. Yoshio Tamaki and Dr. Sadao Wakamura from the laboratory of Insect Physiology and Behavior, National Institute of Seri cultural and Entomological Sciences, Tsukuba, Japan (one year).
She was a Visiting Scientist (hon) at Insect Science Division, Horticultural and Food Research Institute, New Zealand. (3 years).
Visiting Scientist at Department of Forest Entomology, Forest and Forest Product Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan. (3 months).
Research Interests and Experience
Usha Rani became a chemical ecologist to better understand how complex interactions between insects and plants are mediated. Chemical ecology examines the role of chemical signals that mediate the interactions between plants, animals, and their environment, as well as the behavioral consequences of these interactions. In the institute, she collaborates with organic chemists, biochemists, entomologists, behavioral scientists, geneticists and physiologists to unravel the complexity of chemical communication between plants and insect communities.
Her research focus on chemical communication and other chemical interactions between organisms, including volatile chemical signals, which later is expanded to include several plant and insect model systems, with the common goal of understanding how natural variation in chemical signals produced by plants is generated.
Her research also concerns the insect sensory morphology and physiology since the knowledge of behaviorally active chemicals and their perception is important in application-oriented work and also to unravel the complexity of chemical communication that occurs in nature. She is particularly interested in how plant chemistry influences interactions among plants, herbivores, and natural enemies and how insects integrate such information in their foraging behavior.
Another important area to which she has contributed tremendously is development of botanical pesticides. She has worked with about 40 indigenous plants and plant materials as well as medicinally important plants for their extractions, isolations and identification and chemical characterization followed by their screening for medical and agricultural importance. Some isolated botanical compounds have been developed into good insecticides and herbicides and has been patented.
Contact address
Dr. PATHIPATI USHA RANI, FNABS, FRES
Senior Principal Scientist
Biology and Biotechnology Division,
CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT)
Hyderabad-500 007 A.P., India
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Senior Principal Scientist
Biology and Biotechnology Division,
CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT)
Hyderabad-500 007 A.P., India
Email: [email protected], [email protected]