Dr. Edwinraj Esack works as a Research and Development Manager for MIRO Forestry SL Ltd. in Sierra Leone. He worked as a Plant Physiologist at the UPASI Tea Research Institute in Valparai for ten years (2010-2019), where he focused on the development of a trait-specific molecular marker for crop improvement, ecophysiology, biotechnology, genomics, and proteomics. The CSIR-Fourth Paradigm Institute, formerly the CSIR Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation (C-MMACS), Bangalore, has awarded him the SPARK (Student Programme for Advancement in Research Knowledge) grant for his PhD research. He has 42 peer-reviewed papers published in international and national journals. He has validated several empirical spatial statistical models in order to better understand the relationships between climate, soil, and crop yield variability in South Indian tea cultivation. His current research interests include sustainable land use planning and management, geographic information systems, digital mapping, marker-assisted selection for drought-tolerant, disease-resistant clones, and integrated forest plantation health, nutrient, and genetics management in social forestry.
India