Dr. Shalini Tiwari, an assistant professor of biology at University of the Ozarks, recently co-edited a new academic book titled, “Medicinal Plants and the Rhizosphere.”
Tiwari, who joined the Ozarks faculty in 2025, teamed with Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra, assistant professor of biotechnology at S.R. Institute of Management & Technology in India, to co-edit the publication.
“The book focuses on plant–microbe interactions, particularly within the rhizosphere of medicinal plants,” Tiwari said. “It provides a comprehensive understanding of medicinal plant microbiomes and explores the diverse microbial communities associated with different plant compartments, along with their roles in plant growth, health, stress adaptation, and the synthesis of bioactive compounds.”
Before joining Ozarks, Tiwari served as a post-doctoral research associate with South Dakota State University and Oklahoma State University. She also served a post-doctoral fellowship at the School of Life Science at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India.
She earned her Ph.D. in 2019 from the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute at the University of Lucknow in India. During her Ph.D., she contributed to projects aimed at understanding the functional role of rhizobacteria in salt stress tolerance in rice.
She is a member of the American Society of Plant Biologists and the American Society for Microbiology.
More information on the book can be found HERE
Topics: Faculty Spotlights