Dr.R.Shanmugapriyan joined the institute as Entomologist in 2007. He obtained his Ph.D from Bharathiyar University, Coimbatore. His area of specialization was insect pest control and insecticide toxicology. Currently he is involved in experiments and extension service relating to pest management in the regional centre, Vandiperiyar

Mr. S. Ananda Rau took over from Mr. Peter de Jong as the first Indian Chief Scientific Officer in 1957, to implement the expansion programme. As the first Entomologist in the Department from 1931, he saved the tea industry in south India from being completely swept out by the tea mosquito bug by introducing effective field control measures against this pest in the mid forties.

Mr. Peter J. de Jong joined as Chief Scientific Officer when the blister blight epidemic posed a serious threat to the tea industry. With great dynamism and farsightedness Mr. de Jong directed field trials for the economic control of the disease, also fostered laboratory investigation on copper fungicide formulations for comparative efficiency against the blister blight pathogen. His significant contribution was the publication on "Manuring of Tea in India compiling the essence of the departmental findings on potassium and other major elements in tea nutrition. Mr. de Jong did much ground work for the expansion of the Scientific Department.

Mr. W. W. Mayne served as Chief Scientific Officer of the Department during the Second World War. As a scientist of unusual percipience, with thoughts as clear as a mountain brook, his monumental work on coffee leaf rust races is a household word among plant pathologists.

Mr. J. D. Manning was appointed Chief Scientific Officer in 1938 and served the Association with distinction during his tenure, with a break of five years when he was on active service. With his prime interest in agronomy he roused consciousness among the planters on the need to conserve and rehabilitate soils. As an agriculturist, he was the first to initiate a number of long term field experiments on pruning, manuring and plant protection. He also published a number of helpful advisory circulars on various aspects of tea culture, clarified ambiguities and incorporated new working procedures.

Dr. W. S. Shaw was the first Tea Scientific Officer of UPASI. He did pioneering work on tea chemistry with particular stress on tea tannins and adulteration of tea; on the latter subject, he published two excellent papers. Much ahead of his time and with very modest resources, he produced instant tea on bench scale. His work on tea waste as a manure was also an important contribution falling in line with the overwhelmingly manifest preference for organic manures.

Dr. K.B.W Jones joined as Asst. Chief Scientific Officer in 1927.He did pioneering work on withering, fermentation and other aspects of tea manufacture also involved in the studies on tea chemistry. He published a book "Tea Manufacture in South India.

Mr. M. K. Subba Rao joining as Mycologist in 1931, he carried out fundamental research on various disease causing fungi of tea and shade trees, based on which control measures were formulated. His investigations on the physiology of pruning and recovery form the basis for recommendations on pruning. He also initiated the studies on blister blight control and his publication on this subject, as well as on pink disease of tea, are important contributions.

Mr. V. Jayaraman joined as the first Soil Chemist of the Department, and made outstanding contributions to a better understanding of manuring and introduced balanced manuring in tea fields. He adduced conclusive proof that defoliation and decline of tea in South India are caused by potash starvation and this represents a classical work in tea research, quoted extensively in text books and literature through out the world.

Dr. N. R. Ananthakrishnan was the Entomologist of the department from 1959-1964. His work on red spider mite control is worth mentioning. He resigned from the services in 1964.

Mr. R. Padmanaban joined the UPASI Scientific Department as Research Assistant in the Botany Division in 1965. He was associated with Dr. K. S. Venkataramani in the clonal selection work. He was promoted as Advisory Officer in the year 1970 and was in charge of the Nilgiri Advisory Centre till August 1975. Subsequently he resigned and joined the services of Tea Research Association.

Mr. V. Ranganathan joined as Chemist during the year 1968 andserved as in various capacities as Deputy Director and Joint Director in the institute. He had done extensive work in the field of soil and plant nutrition and published over 100 scientific papers in national and international journals. He was responsible for introducing the concept of "Expansion ratio manuring in south Indian tea. In 1989 he retired from services of the UPASI.

Dr. G. N. Rao joined the Institute as Entomologist in 1964 and became Deputy Director in 1975. He had done extensive work in the field of plant parasitic nematodes and mite control in tea. He retired from the services of the Association in 1979.

Mr. P. Swaminathan joined the UPASI in 1967. He worked in almost all the planting districts of south India. He played an important role in establishing Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in UPASI for the benefit of small tea growers and was the first Training Organizer of KVK. He has been primarily responsible for improving the yield of the small growers in the Nilgiris. In 1994, he retired from services as Deputy Director.

Dr. S. Ramasamy the Tea Technologist joined the Institute in 1975. During his tenure a mini manufacturing unit was constructed and all the manufacturing aspects were studied. Split CTC process for quality improvement, UV-fermentation for microbial load free final product, optimization of withering and fermenting conditions, carbonated bottled tea beverage, solar energy for tea processing, and regulation of reconditioning process during tea manufacture were achieved.

Dr. K. Raman joined the Institute in 1980, as its first Plant Physiologist. He set up the Division of Plant Physiology and initiated work on tea tissue culture and other aspects of tea plant physiology. He left the services of UPASI in 1986 to join as the Chief Scientific officer of B.B.T.C Ltd.

Dr. N. Satyanarana joined the Institute in 1976 and served the TRI nearly 20 years. His research efforts there mainly focused on clonal seed stocks. He was heading the Botany division when he resigned in 1996.

Dr. B. Chandra Mouli joined the Institute in 1974. He has contributed to the understanding and management of tea diseases especially in the introduction of triazole fungicides against blister blight. He was heading the Plant Pathology division when he resigned in 1996.

Dr. S. Natesan was appointed as Research Assistant in Chemistry Division in 1977. He did pioneering work in plant nutrition along with Mr. Ranganathan and was responsible for bringing out manuring recommendations on tea. He left the Department in 1988 when he was Chemist.

Mr. G. Boriah joined the Institute in 1975. He was Advisory Officer in Meppadi when he resigned in 1987. Currently, he is Director of Tea Development, Tea Board, Kolkata.

Mr. P. Haridas joined the Institute in 1969 as Assistant Botanist. His work on weed flora of tea is noteworthy. He was Advisory Officer, High Range when he resigned in 1984.

Mr. C. P. Devasahayam Joseph joined the Department in 1968. He had served in almost all the Regional Centres. When he retired from services in 1997 he was Senior Advisory Officer in Coonoor.