Dr Jawahar Singh

  • Research Associate
Available to supervise masters students
Dr Jawahar Singh

Contact

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Location

  • Sainsbury Laboratory
  • 47 Bateman Street, Cambridge, CB2 1LR

About

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Professor Sebastian Schornack at the Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, funded by the international project Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture (ENSA). My research focuses on decoding the molecular and cellular basis of root nodule symbiosis in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) — a critical food security crop in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Using CRISPR-Cas9, bulk RNA-seq, and single-nucleus RNA-seq, I investigate how legumes regulate nitrogen-fixing symbiosis in response to nutrient signals, with the goal of engineering crops that require less synthetic fertiliser. I also serve as Assistant Feature Editor at Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions.

Research

Research interests

  • Root nodule symbiosis
  • Nitrogen fixation
  • Phosphate signalling
  • CRISPR/Cas9
  • Cowpea
  • Legume genomics
  • Sustainable agriculture
  • Nutrient crosstalk
  • Plant-microbe interactions

My current research at the Sainsbury Laboratory centres on root nodule symbiosis in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), a legume that fixes atmospheric nitrogen through partnership with Bradyrhizobium bacteria. This work is funded by ENSA, with the broader goal of engineering cowpea and soybean varieties that fix more nitrogen with less fertiliser input.

Prior to Cambridge, I was a DGAPA Postdoctoral Fellow at UNAM, Mexico, in the lab of Professor Oswaldo Valdés-López, where I made the first direct demonstration that a PHR1-type transcription factor binds the NIN promoter in Phaseolus vulgaris — establishing phosphate availability as a gatekeeper for nodulation commitment (Singh et  al, 2025). Before that, my PhD at NIPGR, New Delhi, with Professor Praveen K. Verma focused on genome-wide characterisation of LysM receptor-like kinases in chickpea and their role in Nod factor perception (Singh et al 2022).

More details about my research can be found in my Research Portfolio

Publications

Selected publications

Beyond Nitrogen: Phosphate Controls Root Nodule Symbiosis Commitment Journal article 18 March 2026 Trends in Plant Science Singh, J., Valdés-López, O., & Schornack, S. Phosphate deficiency reduces nodule formation through a phosphate starvation response-like protein in Phaseolus vulgaris Journal article 24 December 2025 Plant and Cell Physiology Singh, J.*, Mendoza-Soto, A. B., Tiwari, M., Acevedo-Sandoval, T. T., Formey, D., Ané, J. M., Isidra-Arellano, M. C., & Valdés-López, O. Harnessing the potential of symbiotic associations of plants in nutrient-deficient soil for sustainable agriculture Journal article 17 August 2023 Plant and Cell Physiology Singh, J., Isidra-Arellano, M.C., & Valdés-López, O. Role of Nod factor receptors and its allies involved in nitrogen fixation Journal article 13 February 2023 Planta Singh, J.*, & Verma, P. K. Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of glycogen synthase kinase encoding genes in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) under salinity, dehydration, and oxidative stress Journal article 17 May 2023 Plant Stress Singh, J.*, Varshney, V., & Jha, S. Discovering the genetic modules controlling root nodule symbiosis under abiotic stresses: salinity as a case study Journal article 19 November 2022 New Phytologist Singh, J., & Valdés-López, O. Genome-wide identification, expression, and characterization of CaLysM-RLKs in chickpea root nodule symbiosis Journal article 25 June 2022 Environmental and Experimental Botany Singh, J., & Verma, P. K. A nodule peptide confiscates haem to promote iron uptake in rhizobia Journal article 26 November 2022 Tends in Plant Science Singh, J., & Valdés-López, O. Evaluation of multiple salinity tolerance indices for screening and comparative biochemical and molecular analysis of pearl millet Journal article 25 June 2021 Journal of Plant Growth Regulation Jha, S., Singh, J., Chouhan, C., Singh, O., & Srivastava, R. K. Integrated physiological and comparative proteomics analysis of contrasting genotypes of pearl millet reveals underlying salt-responsive mechanisms Journal article 13 December 2021 Physiologia Plantarum Jha, S., Maity, S., Singh, J., Chouhan, C., Tak, N., & Ambatipudi, K.
View full list of publications

Teaching and supervision

Available to supervise masters students

Teaching at Cambridge
Undergraduate supervisor for the Plant and Microbial Sciences (IBPMS) course, covering topics including Feeding the World, Pathological and Beneficial Plant-Microbe Interactions. Conducted revision sessions and guided students in essay writing, critical analysis, and interpretation of research data.

Research Mentoring
Mentored multiple Master's research students and summer interns at Cambridge on root nodule development and molecular regulation of symbiosis. Provided hands-on training in molecular biology, confocal imaging, CRISPR techniques, and data analysis.