Director 
Dr. V. Arunachalam took charge as the 13th Director of KSCSTE–JNTBGRI on 25th October 2024. He completed his Ph.D. in Horticulture from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, in 1996, after obtaining his M.Sc. in Horticulture from IARI in 1992. He also holds a B.Sc. in Horticulture from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (1990), a PG Diploma in Bioinformatics from Bharathiar University (2004), completed an online course in Bioinformatics offered by the S* consortium of eight universities worldwide (2004), and earned a certificate in Intellectual Property Rights from WIPO (2005). His research focuses on software development for genetic marker identification, and he developed tools such as Marker Express 1.0 and DG-MAP to identify RAPD, ISSR, and SSR primers for various species, validated using oil palm and cucumber genomes. He has collected and conserved germplasm accessions of horticultural crops including amaranthus, crossandra, and Konkan lemon. His outreach initiatives include distributing improved planting materials to farmers, particularly in tribal areas, and promoting sustainable agriculture through innovations such as the areca leaf plate-making machine. He is an active member of several professional societies. He was relieved from the post on 23rd February 2026 (FN).