Dr. Urmila Gupta, Principal Scientist (REE) in Department of Renewable Energy Engineering has been appointed as regular Head of Department of Microbiology on Nov. 21, 2023. She completed her B.Sc.(Medical) from KMV College, Jalandhar affiliated to Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar in 1988 and was awarded University Gold Medal. She completed Master`s and Doctorate in Microbiology from College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University in 1990 and 1994, respectively. She has been on academic roll of PAU for both the programs. She was awarded CSIR fellowship during Ph.D. program. Thereafter, she worked as Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar from 1995 to 2005. She joined PAU in 2005 in Department of Civil Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology as Assistant Scientist (Biogas) under All India Coordinated Research Project on Energy in Agriculture and Agro-based Industries (ICAR). She has proven credentials in leadership as demonstrated in successful implementation of 29 AICRP (Bioconversion Technology Component) subprojects along with DST, UGC and industry funded research projects as PI/Co-PI. Dr Gupta has developed technologies for pretreatment of paddy straw and enhancing biogas production, codigestion of agro-residues, value addition of biodigested slurry, bioprospecting microalgal isolates from water logged areas of Punjab for biogas and nutraceutical properties, valorization of paddy straw into industrially valuable products and preparation of bioenzymes from fruit and vegetable wastes. She has been granted a patent on “A fungal consortium for degradation of lignin and or silica, process therefor and application thereof”, which has been commercialized to a biofuel industry. A technology developed by her for preparation of bioenzyme from kinnow waste: a fermented organic cleanser, was approved by REC in 2023. Her research work has resulted in forging linkages with many industries of the region and beyond. She is life member of seven national and state scientific societies. She has published 75 peer reviewed research publications, nine full research papers and 65 abstracts in proceedings of conferences, ten book chapters, four bulletins and six popular articles. She has taught 19 UG and 18 PG courses of Microbiology and Renewable Energy Engineering to the students of COBS&H, COA, COCS and COAET. She has supervised 37 M.Sc. and 7 Ph.D. research theses till date. She has been chairperson/member of various committees at department, college and university level. She has been president of Athletic Women Committee and Social Secretary of COAET since 2008.