Dr. Purandar Mandal, born in 1978, earned his B.Sc. (Ag.) in 2001, M.Sc. (Ag.) Horticulture in 2003, and Ph.D. in Horticulture in 2009. He qualified for the National Eligibility Test in 2005 and joined Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology as an Assistant Professor in 2009.