Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director of the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, has been assigned the additional charge of Director of the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research issued an official memorandum on August 3 stating that the arrangement followed the voluntary retirement of CSIR-NBRI Director Dr Ajit Kumar Shasany. According to the order, the Vice-President of CSIR approved the additional responsibility for Dr Ahmed until the appointment of a regular director or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Dr Ahmed will exercise all the powers attached to the post without receiving any additional remuneration. He will continue to serve as Director of CSIR-IIIM Jammu while overseeing the functioning of CSIR-NBRI Lucknow. The interim arrangement is intended to ensure administrative continuity and the smooth implementation of ongoing scientific programmes at the Lucknow-based institute. Dr Ahmed has more than 28 years of experience in drug discovery and natural-product research, with significant contributions in the areas of inflammatory and metabolic disorders.

Under his leadership, CSIR-IIIM Jammu has played an important role in national initiatives such as the CSIR Phytopharmaceutical Mission, Aroma Mission and Floriculture Mission. He has also been associated with the Purple Revolution through lavender cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir and contributed to the establishment of industrial biotechnology parks at Ghatti in Kathua and Handwara. Dr Ahmed has published more than 150 research papers, guided several doctoral and postgraduate scholars and holds multiple patents. His honours include the J&K Government Tribal Research Institute’s UT-level Tribal Award in Science and Technology in 2022, the CSIR Knowledge Partnership Award in 2023, the Maharaja Hari Singh Award for Excellence in 2024 and the University of Jammu’s Prominent Alumni Award in 2025. He was also honoured by the Indian Army for excellence in science and technology in 2025 and received the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar as a team member of the CSIR Aroma Mission the same year. CSIR-NBRI Lucknow is a premier national laboratory engaged in research on plant sciences, medicinal plants, biodiversity conservation, taxonomy and the sustainable utilisation of botanical resources.