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Champions of Change: Empowering Bamboo for a better Future
Dedicated volunteers steer the World Bamboo Organization. The Ambassadors work independently but are connected as a team, and we collaborate to expand the potential of our actions and our mission.
Santosh Oinam
India
Nutrition and Foods
Dr. Santosh Oinam is a leading scientist specializing in bamboo research and development, hailing from the culturally rich bamboo region of Manipur, North-East India. Actively engaged with the World Bamboo Organization (WBO) since 2019, he was appointed as a World Bamboo Ambassador from India in 2023. Dr. Santosh completed his Ph.D. at the Department of Botany, Panjab University, under the guidance of Professor Nirmala Chongtham, focusing on the "Evaluation of Bamboo Shoots for Fortification and Production of Novel Food Products." His doctoral research emphasized the nutritional value and health benefits of bamboo shoot-based products, significantly contributing to the growing body of knowledge on bamboo as functional foods and nutraceuticals.
In 2021, Dr. Santosh received the prestigious Ned Jaquith Foundation Award for his project titled "Exploratory Study on the Traditional Knowledge of Bamboo Shoot Processing and Consumption in different States of North East India," where he documented traditional bamboo shoot processing methods from eight northeastern Indian states. Throughout his career, he has published extensively, with 19 research papers, six book chapters, nine conference proceedings, and numerous posters and articles, further cementing his expertise in bamboo research. His work has been presented at various national and international forums, including the National University of Costa Rica, the World Bamboo Workshop in Vietnam, and the 12th World Bamboo Congress in Taiwan.
Dr. Santosh has also served as a Scientific Officer at the DST-Centre for Policy Research at Panjab University (2020-2022) and as a Junior Research Fellow for a project funded by the Department of Biotechnology, India (2014-2017), which explored the potential of bamboo shoots as functional foods. He has been actively involved in community-based environmental initiatives, such as plantation drives and conservation awareness campaigns in North-East India. Dr. Santosh’s commitment to promoting bamboo as a sustainable resource extends to various industries, including food and construction, both in India and globally.
