Dr Alka Rao Appointed as First Woman Director of CSIR-IMTECH

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Friday, 12 June 2026

Dr Alka Rao has been appointed as the Director of Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH). She is the first female scientist to have taken the helm in the 42-year old Council of Scientific and Industrial Research institute which works on biotechnology research and genetic engineering.

Before taking charge, Dr Alka was on deputation from the institute IMTECH at Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), New Delhi under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as Advisor for Science, Standards and Regulation Division.

She is a trained protein engineer, molecular microbiologist and has spearheaded the critical food safety programs, regulatory systems, and international policy matchmaking for the Government of India at FSSAI.

She has served as a Codex Alimentarius Executive Committee representative of 24 Asian member countries twice. In 2024, Dr Rao became the National Contact Point and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Enquiry Point for the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the World Trade Organization (WTO), respectively, where she contributed significantly to the development of global food standards and harmonization of India's scientific systems with international trade standards.

Her research at IMTECH has led to the discovery of rare bacterial glycol-enzymes. Her group has been successful in the development of previously unknown enzymatic methods which have broad applications in the preservation of food, management of drug resistance and the production of industrial enzymes.

Key Highlights:

• Dr. Alka Rao becomes the first woman Director of IMTECH
• Former FSSAI advisor with expertise in food safety, biotechnology, and global standards
• Accomplished scientist with 60+ research papers, 15+ patents, and the 2023 CSIR Women Scientist Achiever Award

Dr Alka has completed her PhD from International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi and is the author of more than 60 research papers and filed over 15 national and international patents. She has effectively steered various scientific projects and has been recognized as the CSIR Women Scientist Achiever in 2023.

She works as an advisor to various government departments like the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Education apart from her laboratory work. She is also the project officer of the project on Indian Sign Language Enabled Virtual Laboratory funded by CSIR under the Jigyasa project for imparting science education to the hearing impaired.

Dr Alka has a unique combination of scientific expertise, international diplomacy and regulatory experience.

Her leadership is anticipated to help the institute forge new international partnerships, pursue new avenues of translational research and connect the scientific community with national-level policy decisions, the statement said.

Established in 1984, CSIR-IMTECH is a national center for excellence in the field of microbial sciences. IMTECH's vision and mission are to build a translational ecosystem with foundation on the discovery of new fundamental knowledge and to tackle unmet healthcare and industrial needs through cutting edge processes and platforms.