Dr. Shallu Thakur is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Vegetable Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics Lab at the University of Florida, IFAS–TREC, USA. Her research focuses on genome editing, molecular breeding, and functional genomics to improve crop resilience and productivity. She specializes in CRISPR/Cas-based gene editing, transgenic development, and marker-assisted breeding in legumes and cucurbits. Her current work aims to develop powdery and downy mildew resistant cucurbit crops through targeted genome editing. Dr. Thakur previously served as a DST-INSPIRE Faculty Fellow and Principal Investigator at the Indian Institute of Pulses Research, where she led research on CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in chickpea. She has extensive experience in plant biotechnology, genetic transformation, molecular marker development, and crop improvement. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and actively contributes to the scientific community as a journal reviewer and topic editor. Her research contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the INSA Young Scientist Medal and the ICAR Jawaharlal Nehru Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research. Through her work, she aims to advance sustainable crop improvement and strengthen global food security using modern genomic technologies.