Dr Alka Rao has been appointed as the Director of Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH). She has become the first woman scientist to lead the 42-year old institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research that is engaged in biotechnology research and genetic engineering.
Prior to her appointment, Dr Rao was on deputation from IMTECH the institute since March 2024 to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), New Delhi, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and served as the Advisor for Science, Standards and Regulation Division at FSSAI.
A trained protein engineer and a molecular microbiologist, she led critical food safety initiatives, regulatory frameworks and international policy alignment for the Government of India at FSSAI.
She has represented 24 Asian member countries in the Codex Alimentarius Executive Committee twice. Since 2024, Dr Rao has served as India’s National Contact Point for the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the World Trade Organisation’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Enquiry Point, where she played a pivotal role in shaping global food standards and aligning India’s scientific frameworks with international trade protocols.
Work by her research group at IMTECH has resulted in the discovery of rare bacterial glycol-enzymes. The successful development of previously unknown enzymatic methods having broad applications in food preservation, antibiotic resistance management and industrial enzyme production has been the hallmark of her group.
Dr Rao received her doctorate from International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi and has published over 60 research papers and filed more than 15 national and international patents. She has successfully led multiple scientific projects and was named as the CSIR Women Scientist Achiever for 2023.
Beyond her laboratory work, she serves as an advisor to government bodies such as the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Education. She also spearheads the Indian Sign Language Enabled Virtual Laboratory project funded by CSIR under the Jigyasa programme for imparting science education for individuals with hearing impairment.
