Dr. R. Philip Sridhar

Dr. Philip Sridhar is a Professor in the Division of Agricultural Entomology at the School of Agricultural Sciences, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Entomology with specialization in Host Plant Resistance (HPR) from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), an M.Sc. (Ag.) in Agricultural Entomology from Annamalai University, and a B.Sc. (Ag.) in Agriculture from Annamalai University. He served TNAU from 1984 to 2019 and has been associated with the School of Agricultural Sciences at Karunya since September 2019.

His academic and research expertise includes agricultural entomology, host plant resistance, biological control, pest management, and insecticidal activity of medicinal plants. His research contributions include developing a low-cost fish meal trap for sorghum shoot fly, establishing a viable egg-laying chamber for large-scale NPV production against Helicoverpa armigera, developing screening methodologies for sesame and wheat pests, and identifying resistant donors in sorghum, sesame, and sunflower. He has also contributed to the development of village-level biocontrol units, mass culturing techniques for NPV, commercial Trichogramma production, and urban entomology as a UG course.

Dr. Sridhar has executed a DRDO-funded research project on plant-origin pesticides for the management of pests of fruits and vegetables, with a grant of Rs. 7.95 lakhs, serving as the Principal Investigator. He has successfully guided three Ph.D. scholars at TNAU. His publication record includes 17 Web of Science publications and 32 Google Scholar publications, with 104 overall Google Scholar citations. His research and extension contributions have also included commercial termite management activities, farmer-level demonstration of biocontrol agents, beekeeping training, and large-scale biocontrol production.

He has held several academic and administrative responsibilities, including Dean i/c, Head of the Department of Sericulture at TNAU, Head of the Department at HC & RI (Women’s), and Head of the School of Agricultural Sciences at Karunya. He has served on the Board of Studies and Academic Council of TNAU and as Secretary of the Indian Society for Biocontrol Advancement. His professional contributions include participation in ICAR accreditation activities, development of projects for sericulture, and establishment of training and commercial biocontrol initiatives. He holds a patent titled “Automated Electrical Culex Trap with Real-Time Clock and Solar Power Integration” and has an industrial MoU with Aquasub Engineering, Coimbatore.