Kolkata: Dr Kanad Das Appointed Director of Botanical Survey of India, 1st Mycologist to Head the Institute
Times of India | 25 September 2025Kanad Das as its new Director. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) cleared his appointment on September 6, marking a proud milestone for Indian botanical sciences.
Founded in 1890, BSI is India’s premier research institute on plant diversity, taxonomy, and conservation. Dr. Das becomes the 13th Director since Independence and the first specialist in fungal taxonomy to lead the institute — a historic moment for Indian mycology.
A native of Bengal, Dr. Das is the fourth Bengali to head BSI, following in the footsteps of Dr. J.C. Sengupta (1955–1961), Dr. S.K. Mukherjee (1968–1971), and Dr. P.K. Hajra (1993–1998). His association with the institute dates back to 1999, when he joined as a Junior Research Fellow at the Northern Regional Centre in Dehradun. Over the past two decades, he has established himself as a leading authority in mushroom research, blending classical taxonomy with molecular phylogeny to explore and document India’s fungal wealth.
Dr. Das’s scientific contributions are remarkable: the discovery of two new genera and 165 new species of wild mushrooms from India, alongside 170 research papers in top international journals including Nature Portfolio (Scientific Reports), Fungal Diversity, and Mycologia. He is also the author of eight books on wild mushrooms, and his legacy is further underscored by the fact that four fungal species have been named in his honour.
His achievements have earned him wide recognition, including the Fellowship of the Mycological Society of India (2023), the Prof. K.S. Thind Medal (2020) by the Association of Plant Taxonomy, and the Bharat Jyoti Award (2015) by the India International Friendship Society.
Welcoming his appointment, senior officials at BSI expressed confidence that under Dr. Das’s leadership, the institute would “scale new heights in botanical and mycological research and in the conservation of India’s biological resources.”
With millions of fungal species worldwide still awaiting discovery, experts believe Dr. Das’s tenure will not only strengthen India’s role in global mycology but also deepen scientific understanding of biodiversity at a critical time for ecological conservation.
