Dr Alka Rao joined as a full-time Director of CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH) on 11 June 2026, and is the first woman scientist to lead the institute in the last 42 years. Dr Rao, who has more than two decades of research experience, succeeds Dr Souvik Maiti, Director of CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), who was holding the additional charge of Director, CSIR-IMTECH since March 2026.

Dr Alka Rao, prior to her appointment as Director, CSIR-IMTECH, was on deputation from the institute since March 2024 to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and served as the Advisor for the Science, Standards, and Regulation division at  FSSAI, New Delhi. A trained protein engineer and a molecular microbiologist, she led critical food safety initiatives, regulatory frameworks, and international policy alignment for the Government of India at FSSAI. She has held the prestigious honour of representing 24 Asian member countries in the Codex Alimentarius Executive Committee twice. Since 2024, Dr Rao has served as India's National Contact Point for the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Enquiry Point. In these capacities, she played a pivotal role in shaping global food standards and aligning India's scientific frameworks with international trade protocols.

Her research group at CSIR-IMTECH holds an interest in pioneering research resulting in the discovery of rare bacterial glycoenzymes. The successful development of previously unknown enzymatic methods for the S-diglycosylation of proteins and peptides using bacterial enzymes with broad applications in food preservation, antibiotic resistance management, and industrial enzyme production has been the hallmark of her research group.

Dr Alka Rao received her PhD from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi and has published over 60 research papers and filed more than 15 national and international patents. She has successfully led multiple scientific projects and has been internationally recognised for her work, including being named as the CSIR "Women Scientist Achiever" for the year 2023. Beyond her laboratory work, she serves as an advisor to government bodies, including the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW), and the Ministry of Education (MoE), among others. A passionate advocate for inclusive STEM education, she also spearheads the Indian Sign Language Enabled Virtual Laboratory (ISLEVL) project, funded by CSIR under the Jigyasa programme, particularly for imparting science education for individuals with hearing impairments. Dr Rao brings a unique blend of scientific rigor, international diplomacy, and high-level regulatory experience. Her leadership is expected to propel the institute toward new global partnerships, drive translational research breakthroughs, and bridge the gap between the scientific community and national policymaking.