Shreyasi Basak,^1,* Baishakhi Sarkar,^1,** Dulal Chandra Patra,^1,*** Sudhansu Sekhar Dash,^2,**** Debabrata Maity,^1,***** A.P. Das,^3,****** Subir Bera<sup>1,*******,********

1</sup>Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
²Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, India
³Department of Botany, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India

^*Shreyasi Basak, CSIR- Senior Research Fellow (NET), is pursuing PhD on the pollen flora of Darjeeling Himalaya in the Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta. She obtained her master's degree from Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University with specialization in Palynology and Plant Systematics. Her main interest is in pollen morphology and palyno-systematics.
^**Baishakhi Sarkar holds a PhD degree in the arboreal pollen flora of Terai and Dooars, West Bengal from University of North Bengal. She did her masters from University of Calcutta with Palaeobotany and Palynology specialization. Her main interest is in palyno-systematics and Neogene palynology.
^***Dulal Chandra Patra is working on pollen flora of Arunachal Pradesh, India in the Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta. He obtained his M.Sc from Vidyasagar University and M.Phil from Vinayak Mission University. His area of interest is palynology and palynotaxonomy.
^****Sudhansu Sekhar Dash, M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D is presently working as Scientist E (Joint Director and the Head of Technical Division) in Botanical Survey of India. His professional expertise includes Biodiversity Assessment, Revisionary studies, Phytogeographic analysis, Climate Change Assessments and has been working in international, national, and local level since past 25 years. He has explored extensively all most all parts of Indian Himalayan Region, Eastern Ghats, Indo-gangetic Plains and collected a huge number of Plant specimens. He has discovered one new family, two new genera, 20 species new to science and reported more than 100 plants new to Indian states and flora. He is currently working on a project on reassessment of Himalayan ecosystems in the light change of community structure, floristic composition, alternation of phenology and selection of climatic change indicators. He has authored more than 100 research papers in national and international repute, 10 books, edited 8 books, and three journals. He is the recipient of prestigious “V.V. Sivarajan Gold Medal-2019” from Indian Association of Angiosperm Taxonomy” (IAAT); S.K. Jain Gold Medal - 2014 from Association of Plant Taxonomist(APT), and Brandis Prize 2012 from Association of Forester.
^*****Debabrata Maity, Assistant Professor, Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta is an experienced taxonomist working on Eastern Himalayan flora for more than two decades. He has a master's degree specialization in Taxonomy of Angiosperms from University of Kalyani. Debabrata also holds a Ph.D. in Eastern Himalayan flora (Vascular Plant Diversity of Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve, Sikkim) jointly from Botanical Survey of India and University of Kalyani. His main interests are in the study of Alpine flora of Eastern Himalaya as well as pollen and pollination behaviour of high altitude plants.
^******Abhaya Prasad Das, Professor (retired) of Botany in the University of North Bengal, India, is now working as a visiting research Professor (DBT, Govt. of India) at the Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh. He is a well-known taxonomist and worked mainly on the flora and vegetation of Eastern Himalaya.
^*******CONTACT Subir Bera berasubir@yahoo.co.in Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700073, India.
^********Subir Bera, Professor and programme coordinator, Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta is a senior Palaeobotanist of India working on vegetation history and climate change of south-east Asia using plant micro and megafossil proxies.