PRADEEP KUMAR DIVAKAR

Professor and co-director of the SYSTEMOL–EXTREMOL research group at, Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy of the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. A scientist with over 20 years experience in the implementation and management of scientific research and services, and extensive experience in reviewing research proposals in the European Union. He is one of the leading international authorities in lichen biodiversity and evolution. He is listed among World’s Top 2% Scientist of the University of Stanford/Elsevier's Rankings 2023, 2024, 2025. His greatest contribution lies in modernizing and redefining the global view of lichen diversity and evolution, integrating classical and molecular approaches, and opening new avenues for understanding the biodiversity and biotechnological potential of these organisms. His major scientific contribution lies in profoundly transforming our understanding of the diversity, evolution, and classification of lichens. His work has shown, through the combined use of genomics, metabolomics, and morphology, that many traditionally accepted lichen groups were not correctly defined. Thanks to his studies, numerous genera and species have been reclassified, and cryptic lineages that had gone unnoticed for decades have been identified. To date he has described one subfamily, 10 genera and 32 species new to science. In addition, he has contributed to technology transfer to industry by linking taxonomic studies with bioprospecting and participating in research that identified genes responsible for the production of bioactive metabolites with potential pharmacological applications. To support and advance these research lines, he has secured funding from industry partners. He has been appointed as honorary Research Associate (2023) by Negaunee Integrative Research Center of the Field Museum Chicago, USA. He has been appointed twice as Scientist (Principal Scientist and Senior Principal Scientist) by the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow India. He has received many prestigious fellowships including Juan de la Cierva, Ministry of Science and Education, Spain (2004); Ramon y Cajal Fellow, Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain (2007) and Fulbright Fellow, U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, USA. (2015), Fellow of International Society of Environmental Botanists (2021) and Fellow of Indian Lichenological Society (2022). He is serving as Associate Editor of many journals of the international repute including Biodiversity and Conservation, Journal of Fungi, BMC Plant Biology, Frontiers in Fungal Biology, Mycokeys and Mediterranean Botany, and has served as guest editor of many journals such as Fungal Biology, Frontiers in Microbiology and Lichenologist. He teaches Pharmaceutical Botany at the Faculty of Pharmacy, UCM, Spain. He has delivered seminars at various institutions of international repute in different countries of the globe (Japan, Estonia, The Netherlands, South Korea, India, Mexico, USA) and plenary lectures at international symposia. Through his rigorous research and dedication to teaching, Pradeep K. Divakar continues to be a key figure in advancing our understanding of lichen biodiversity and evolution, leaving a lasting legacy in botany and biology.