Rattan Lal, is a Distinguished University Professor,Director of the CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration at The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA, and Chair of Soil Science and Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development Issues of the International Institute of Cooperation in Agriculrure,San Jose,Costa Rica.He is member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of Chair in Soil Science of UM6P and of the African Plant Nutrition Institute ,Ben Guerir, Morocco. He is member of the Borard for International Food and Agriculture Development (BIFAD) of the USAID, and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board(SERDP-SAB) of the United Staes Department of Defense.
He is laureate of the World Food Prize (2020), Arrell Global Food Innovation Prize, (2020), Japan Prize(2019), , GCHERA World Agriculture Prize (2018), Glinka World Soil Prize, (2018), Padma Shri Award of India (2021) and 2024 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity. He was ranked #1 in the world and in the U.S. in plant sciences and agronomy by Research.com in 2023.He received 9 honorary degrees ( Honoris Causa from around the World) including from the Amity University in 2020. The Dr. Rattan Lal Endowed Professorship at the Ohio State University is funded by him via donation of US $1 million , and Rattan Lal Scholar Exchange Program via donation of US $0.35 M all of which were received as honoraria from international awards.
Prof. Lal mentored 425 scholars from about 60 countries ,authored/co-authored ~1200 peer reviewed journal articles , authored/ edited >105 books, has total citations of 175,000 , h index of 200, and is globally ranked #1 in plant sciences and agronomy by research.com in 2023 and 2024.