Deputy Director General

Dr. Joykrushna Jena possesses over 30 years of research experience in different fields of freshwater aquaculture and conservation genetics, and has been holding the position of Deputy Director General (Fisheries Science) at ICAR since January 2016. As the DDG (Animal Science), he steered the programmes of the Animal Science Division of ICAR for about three years, i.e. from April 2017-January 2020. Before that, he has served as the Director of the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Lucknow for over 5 years.

Working in different aspects of freshwater aquaculture at the ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Bhubaneswar during his initial career in different capacities, viz., National Fellow and Head of the Division, he has contributed to the development of several technologies and research findings, including aquaculture diversification; intensive carp culture; treatment of domestic sewage through aquaculture; cryopreservation and applied nutrition. Operated over 20 research projects, including 10 externally-funded projects as Principal Investigator. As National Coordinator, in addition to that of Consortium Research Platform on Genomics since 2015 with 12 ICAR institutes, he has been operating the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases (NSPAAD) in India with the involvement of 27 partner organizations for the last 7 years. Further, as National Coordinator, executing the Indian Network on Fisheries and Animal Antimicrobial Resistance (INFAAR), initiated by ICAR with the involvement of 22 Animal Science and Fisheries Research institutes. He has published over 300 research papers in national and international journals of repute, besides several books and other publications.

Dr. Jena has been conferred with several awards and recognition, including the Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Award of ICAR; ICAR Award for Team Research; Special One-time Award by ICAR; Prof. H.P.C. Shetty Award for Excellence in Fisheries Research by AFSIB; Pillay Aquaculture Award of the Pillay Aquaculture Foundation and several others. He has been bestowed with several Fellowships by different Scientific Societies including the Fellowship of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), India. He has held several important positions in the past, including President of the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS), Kuala Lumpur, the first Indian to have this honour; Chairman of the Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch; and Secretary, NAAS and also served as the Chairman/Member of different national-level committees.