Cyanobacteria are one of the first evolved oxygenic photoautotrophic, nitrogen fixing and prokaryotic microorganisms that are responsible for oxygenation of Earth’s atmosphere. In spite of being ancient, these algae have often been neglected leading to a gross under-estimation of their diversity. Many scientists all across the globe are interested to study their different life forms and adaptation strategies associated under different environmental conditions not just with an intent to know them but to conserve this precious biodiversity in an era of much talked global climatic change.

Maintaining the zeal and series of new discoveries pertaining to taxonomy (science of identification of living forms) of cyanobacteria, an Indo-US Collaboration coming out through the Fulbright Program has led to the discovery of a new genus from Northern India. The study was conducted by Dr. Prashant Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, and Naresh Kumar, a doctoral student working under the supervision of Dr. Singh. Naresh Kumar, first author in this study sampled the cyanobacterium from the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir and went on to characterize as well as establish it as new genus, thus making it the first new genus of cyanobacteria to be discovered from Jammu and Kashmir region using a polyphasic approach.

Honoring the significant contributions of Senator James William Fulbright, who was instrumental in creation of the prestigious Fulbright Program, the team has named the new genus as Fulbrightiella. Dr. Prashant Singh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University was the recipient of the Fulbright Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship 2020-2021. He did an important part of this work in the laboratory of his Fulbright host Prof. Jeffrey R. Johansen, John Carroll University, Cleveland, United States. The work becomes even more special as it was carried out in 2021 when the Fulbright Program celebrated its 75th anniversary.

One of the new species discovered has been named as Fulbrightiella bharadwajae in honor of Prof. Yajnavalkya Bharadwaja, who established the Banaras School of Phycology in the Department of Botany at the Banaras Hindu University. Interestingly, in the same study the team has also described another new genus of cyanobacteria from the Hawaii Islands, naming it Sherwoodiella, as a tribute to Prof. Alison R. Sherwood, a noted phycologist.

This work is an extension of Dr. Singh’s research group who has discovered and described numerous cyanobacterial taxa from different parts of the world with a greater aim of not just addressing the issue of biodiversity loss but aiding in its conservation through identification, documentation and preservation of these forms of life. The research team also comprised Aniket Saraf (RJ College, Mumbai), Sagarika Pal and Deeksha Mishra (Department of Botany, BHU).

The work was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST-SERB), India through the Core Research Grant Project. The Banaras Hindu University is also acknowledged for providing Seed Grant under the Institution of Eminence (IoE) Scheme. The Fulbright Program, United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF) and John Carroll University are deeply acknowledged for their support during the course of this study.

The study has been peer reviewed and published in the Journal of Phycology, a prestigious journal of the Phycological Society of America.