Prof. Kailash Chandra Upadhyaya earned his BSc (Agriculture) from Agra University and MSc (1966) from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. After that, he obtained PhD (Genetics) (1971) from Pennsylvania State University, USA. Thereafter (1971-73), he was in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware. On returning to India in 1973, he joined Genetic Unit, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi as a CSIR Scientists' Pool Office. In 1975, he joined the School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. Presently, he is working as Professor in the School. He was also Vice-Chancellor of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda from 2002 to 2005.nnHis academic and research achievements include the following While at JNU, he established a Molecular Genetics Laboratory. He started teaching courses on genetics, molecular biology, molecular genetics, and genetic engineering. He was among the first in India to have sequenced two plant genes in late eighties. Over his long research career, he has mentored many students including 26 PhD students. Prof. Upadhyaya along with his colleagues was instrumental in setting up a DBT-supported Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (CPMB) in the School of Life Sciences at JNU which was upgraded in 1998 as National Centre for Plant Genome Research. He worked for establishing the National Institute for Plant Genome Research. He has received various awards and honours. Prof. Upadhyaya has been Max-Planck and Senior DAAD Fellow in Germany and a Senior Fulbright Fellow in USA. He was elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad.