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Prof. (Dr.) K. Muthuchelian [Ph.D., D.Sc., FNABS, FIEF (Canada)] is Vice-Chancellor of Periyar University, Salem. He is the first Indian Scientist honored with the prestigious award of the University of Ancona, Italy. Besides, he has been recipient of several awards including ‘Tamil Nadu Best Scientist’ in Environmental Science (1999) and ‘Best Vice-Chancellor Award’ by the Indian Red Cross Society.

Professor Dr. S. Kannaiyan is the former vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. He is a renowned world famous scientist in Agricultural Microbiology and Biotechnology. Prof. Kannaiyan did his B.Sc. (Agriculture) with first class and distinctions in Planat Pathology and Agronomy and M.Sc. (Agriculture) in Agricultural Microbilogy with first class and first rank from Annamalai University by securing Dr. M.P. Damodaran's and Dean's Awards. He also obtained his Ph.D. in 1976 in Agricultural Microbiology and his Ph.D. thesis was rated as the best and outstanding one for the year 1978. He was a FAO/UNDP Fellow and worked in Charles Kettering Research Laboratory, Yellow Spring, Ohio, USA. He was working as visiting scientist at University of California, Davis, USA in USDA Senior Scientific Panel Programme. He was a British Council Visiting Fellow in the University of Nottingham, UK and Visiting Scientist to the King's College, University of London, UK. Prof. Kannaiyan started his career in the Department of Agricultrue, Government of Tamil Nadu s a Research Assistant. Prof. Kannaiyan later joined as Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Microbiology at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore in 1980. Prof. Kannaiyan is the recipient of more than 20 awards. He is a Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), New Delhi and the Indian Society of Biochemists and Biotechnologists. His field of specialization are Biotechnology, Alagal and Azolla Biotechnology, Biofertilizers, Nodulation in Cereals, Agricultural Education etc. He has organized many National and International Conferences. Prof. Kannaiyan has developed a strong research group and recently has got a NATP 'Team of excellence project on Biofertilizers for rice based cropping system was sanctioned in recognition of his outstanding contribution to rice Microbiology. He has published more than 400 research papers in reputed National and International Journals in the areas of Cyanobacteria, Azolla Biofertilizer, stem nodulating Sesbania rostrata and Rice Pathology. He has published 38 scientific books pertaining to Biofertilizers and Agriculture and written 14 books in Tamil on technology transfer.