I am a PhD candidate specializing in integrating deep learning with plant phenomics and molecular biology to advance precision, sustainable agriculture, and plant biotechnology. With a passion for bridging computational tools and plant sciences, my work focuses on:

1. AI-Driven Plant Phenomics:

   • Developing deep learning models (CNNs, Vision Transformers) for high-throughput analysis of plant morphology, static abiotic responses, and growth dynamics.

   • Applications in crop yield prediction and disease detection using hyperspectral/3D imaging to produce disease-resistant, high-yielding varieties in the plant breeding program.

2. Molecular Biology & Epigenetics:

   • Studied epigenetic modifications (DNA methylation, histone acetylation) in plant epigenetic memory on lingonberry.

   • DNA methylation enhances secondary metabolite production and phenotypic expression of tissue-cultured plants.

3. Micropropagation & Automation:

   • AI-assisted bioreactor systems for epigenetic fidelity assessment and mass propagation of elite genotypes.

4. Contributions/Publications:

   • Epigenomic insight of lingonberry and health-promoting traits during micropropagation. Sikdar Arindam, Sharma Umanath, Barua Rajesh, Igamberdiev Abir U., Debnath Samir C. * Scientific report 2022- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16530-7

     Exploring genetic and epigenetic changes in lingonberry using molecular markers: Implications for clonal propagation. Umanath Sharma, Arindam Sikdar, Abir U. Igamberdiev​, and Samir C. Debnath* Current issues in molecular biology 2023 - doi.org/10.3390/cimb45080397 

   •  Discovered a significant banding pattern between micropropagated   lingonberries and cutting plants. 

   • Established and demonstrated the important role of epigenetics in improving horticultural crop health to achieve desired traits for commercial cultivation. 

   •  Additionally, explored the phenotypic and phytochemical relationships between in-vitro and greenhouse plants. 

   • Played a lead role in SJRDC-AAFC (Debnath biotechnology lab) to enhance berry crop production into scalable agricultural solutions.

• Academic Journey

• PhD in Bioresource engineering and agricultural sustainability, McGill University, Canada, under the supervision of Prof. Shangpeng Sun. Research Focus: "Crop intelligence in cereals."

• MSc in Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, under the supervision of Prof. Samir C Debnath and Abir U. Igamberdiev, thesis on “Epigenetic variation on lingonberry.”

• MSc in Botany, Visva-Bharati University, India, thesis on “Survey of Poisonous plants in West Bengal.”

Vision: To pioneer AI-augmented plant science that accelerates sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient crop development.