Dr. Sumeet Gairola, FRSB, FLS is Professor in the Department of Botany, University of Delhi. He is a plant scientist whose work spans plant ecology, taxonomy, systematics, ethnobotany, medicinal and aromatic plants, and the botanical standardization of herbal drugs, with a special focus on the Western Himalaya and lower plants such as bryophytes, pteridophytes, and gymnosperms. He earned his Ph.D. in Botany from H.N.B. Garhwal University and was also a UGC-Dr. D.S. Kothari Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Delhi. 

Before joining the University of Delhi, Dr. Gairola served as Associate Professor at H.N.B. Garhwal University and earlier held scientific positions up to Principal Scientist at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu. His research has contributed significantly to Himalayan biodiversity studies, medicinal plant conservation, phytopharmaceuticals, and rural livelihood enhancement through aromatic crop interventions. 

Dr. Gairola has published over 100 research articles, authored books and book chapters, secured patents, supervised doctoral research, and led multiple externally funded projects. He has been recognized among the top 2% of scientists globally by Stanford/Elsevier in consecutive years and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and the Linnean Society of London. He is also noted for his leadership in the CSIR-Aroma Mission and the “Purple Revolution,” which advanced lavender-based rural entrepreneurship and farmer livelihoods in Jammu & Kashmir.