Honour for Punjabi University Professor

Patiala, January 29

Dr Himender Bharti, professor, Punjabi University, has been nominated as an expert member for evaluation of research proposals under the INSPIRE programme of department of science and technology (DST) of the Central Government. The ant specialist head of the zoology department on the campus has important research projects, including those sanctioned by the Ministry of Science and Technology, in his name.

The INSPIRE fellowship is granted to meritorious students who have secured first position in their master’s programme. The student’s proposal for pursuing PhD is securitised by the committee. Dr Bharti said, “I feel this venture of DST needs to be popularised among students of northern India as they are less aware about it which can strengthen their careers.”

Bharti is an evolutionary biologist with research on insect systematics, phylogeography, speciation patterns, phylogenetics, ecology and conservation biology.

He was nominated as a fellow of prestigious Royal Entomological Society, London. Moreover, he is credited with the discovery of more than 100 new species of ants, in addition to a number of new records. His findings include endemic and red list species.

He is president of International Network for Study of Ants (ANeT) and International Union for Study of Social Insects (IUSSI) Indian Chapter, besides he is on the editorial board of international journals, Asian Myrmecology, Sociobiology, Current Research in Insect Science (Elsevier).