Debabrata Dutta

Debabrata Dutta is a Research Fellow at Heriot-Watt University, affiliated with the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society and the Institute for Life and Earth Sciences. His work focuses on enhancing agricultural productivity through research into fungal pathogens affecting cereal crops, particularly wheat. He leads the WHEAT-DR project, funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under the UKRI Guarantee Scheme, investigating resistance mechanisms against Zymoseptoria tritici via small secreted proteins. His research aims to develop climate-resilient wheat varieties for Scottish agriculture, reducing reliance on fungicides.

His research interests span plant pathology, molecular genetics, and crop improvement. Notable contributions include studies on sesame genetics, oil content optimization, and disease-resistant crop development. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals such as BMC Genomics and The Nucleus.

Dr. Dutta has received prestigious fellowships, including the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (2024), Newton Bhaba fund (2019), and Swiss Government Excellence Fellowship (2023). He serves on the editorial board of Data in Brief (2024).