Dr. Amit Sarkar

Dean - School of Life, Agricultural & Biotechnological Sciences

Ph.D degree from Jadavpur University, Postdoctoral research: Rocky Mountain laboratories National Institute of Health (NIH), Hamilton, MT, USA.

Email: amit.s@snuniv.ac.in

E D U C A T I O N

Postdoctoral research: Rocky Mountain laboratories, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Health (NIH), Hamilton, MT, USA.

Ph.D. Life Sciences (Microbial Genetics), Bose Institute, Kolkata.

MSc. Botany, Visva Bharati University, West Bengal, India

BSc. (H) Life Sciences, Visva Bharati University, West Bengal, India

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

Dr. Amit Sarkar’s research programme primarily focuses on molecular genetics of enteric pathogenic bacteria and their interactions with hosts. During doctoral research Dr. Sarkar focused on molecular characterization of Non-Cholera Vibrios to gain better insights towards their genetic differences with their epidemic causing counterparts. His postdoctoral research primarily focused on understanding the host-pathogen interaction and identification of novel virulence genes of Lyme disease causing bacteria Borrelia Burgdorferi. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing concern worldwide where rampant use of antibiotic has resulted in the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains. Infections with the enteric pathogen Vibrio cholera remains a concern in some of the South-East Asian countries and has emerged as a notorious drug resistant enteric pathogen over the past few decades. How these bacteria have evolved to acquire this drug resistance property and their survivability within the gut of the host in competition with the normal gut flora is one of the primary questions of Dr. Sarkar’s research. His research also aims at molecular characterization of hospital-acquired Salmonella infection and their antibiotic resistance profile. 

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

2015 - 2022: Assistant Professor and Head, Dept. of Biotechnology The Neotia University, West Bengal

2006 - 2012: Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow, Laboratory of Zoonotic Pathogens, Rocky Mountain Laboratories NIAID, NIH, Hamilton, MT 59849

1999 - 2006: Ph.D, Department of Microbiology, Bose Institute Kolkata, India, 700054

P E E R  R E V I E W E D  P U B L I C A T I O N S

1.    Poulomi Chakraborty, Debabrata Ghosh Dastidar, Payel Paul, Sutirtha Dutta · Debajjyoti Basu, Senjuti Roy Sharma, Shreosi Basu, Ranojit Kumar Sarker, Aparna Sen · Amit Sarkar, Prosun Tribedi (2020). Inhibition of bioflm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by cafeine: a potential approach for sustainable management of bioflm. Archives of Microbiology. Vol 202(3):623-635.
2.    B. M. Hayes, Daniel P. Dulebohn, Amit Sarkar, Kit Tilly, Aaron Bestor, Xavier Beth Ambroggio and Patrici A. Rosa (2014). Regulatory Protein BBD18 of the Lyme Disease Spirochete: Essential Role during Tick Acquisition? mBio. 5(2):e01017-14
3.    Stewart PE, Carroll JA, Dorward DW, Stone HH, Amit Sarkar, Picardeau M, Rosa PA. (2012). Characterization of the Bat proteins in the oxidative stress response of Leptospira biflexa. BMC Microbiol. Vol 13;12:290
4.    Amit Sarkar*, Hayes BM, Dulebohn DP, Rosa PA. (2011). Regulation of the virulence determinant OspC by bbd18 on linear plasmid lp17 of Borrelia burgdorferi. Journal of Bacteriology. Vol. 193 (19), Page. 5365-5373. (corresponding author)
5.    Jewett MW, Jain S, Linowski AK, Amit Sarkar, Rosa PA. (2011). Molecular characterization of the Borrelia burgdorferi in vivo-essential protein PncA. Microbiology. Vol. 157(part10). Page. 2831- 2840.
6.    Aaron Bestor, PhilipE. Stewart, Mollie W. Jewett, Amit Sarkar, Kit Tilly and Patricia A. Rosa. (2010). Use of the Cre-lox recombination system to investigate lp54 gene requirement in the infectious cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi. Infection and Immunity. Vol.78(6), Page.2397-2407.
7.    Amit Sarkar*, Kit Tilly, Philip Stewart, Aaron Bestor, James M. Battisati and Patricia Rosa (2009). Borrelia burgdorferi resistance to a major skin antimicrobial peptide is independent of outer surface lipoprotein content. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Vol. 53(10), Page. 4490-4494. (*corresponding author)
8.    Bisweswar Nandi, Ranjan K. Nandy, Amit Sarkar and Asoke C. Ghose (June 2005). Structural features, properties and regulation of the outer membrane protein W (OmpW) of Vibrio cholerae. Microbiology. Vol. 151(part 9), Page. 2975-2986.
9.    Amit Sarkar, Ranjan K. Nandy, G. Balakrish Nair, and Asoke C. Ghose (August 2002). VibrioPathogenicity Island and Cholera Toxin Genetic Element-Associated Virulence Genes and Their Expression in Non O1 Non-O139 Strains of Vibrio

T E A C H I N G  A R E A

• Immunology
• Recombinant DNA technology
• Biochemistry

R E S E A R C H  A R E A

• Molecular Genetics
• Microbiology
• Immunology

Dr. Biswapati Sinha

HOD - Agriculture

Ph. D. in Agronomy

Email: biswapati.s@snuniv.ac.in

Research Expertise:

• Research expertise on Establishment & build up of conservation agriculture management practices, farmer-crop-environment relations, especially Conservatin Agriculture i.e. resource conservation techniques including use of leaf colour chart, surface residue, weed management practices and Natural Resource Management.
• Provided knowledge to the farmer about weather forecasting and climate change and learning in constraint of environments.
• Socio-economic environmental inequality of the poor farmer.

Dr. Sanchari Roy

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

B.Sc. (Ag) Hons. from BCKV in2011, M.Sc (Ag) from BCKV 2013, phD in Plant Pathology from BCKV 2017, NET qualified in the year 2017

Email: sanchari.r@snuniv.ac.in

Research Achievements

Two years of laboratory and field work on a project entitled with “Morphology and Biochemical Variation of Some Alternaria species Infected on Different Vegetable Crops” during M.Sc.

Three years of research work including field & laboratory work on a project entitled with “Characterization of Different Foliage Infecting Fungal Pathogens of Cowpea under West Bengal condition” during Ph.D.

Research publications

I) First Report of Corynespora cassicola (Berk & M.A. Curtis) C.T. Wei) causing

leaf Spot on Cowpea (Vigna ungiculata.L). Sanchari Roy, Vikas Kumar Ravat

and Amitava Basu. J Mycol Plant Pathol. 45(3): 314.

II) Cultural, morphological and biochemical variations of Alternaria sp causing

diseases on different vegetables. Sanchari Roy and Srikanta Das. J. Mycopathol

Res. 54(1): 29-34.

III) Rice: A new host of Choanephora cucurbitarum in West Bengal Vikas K. Ravat,

Sanchari Roy and Amitava Basu. Ann. Pl. Protec. Sci. 23(1): 158-199.

IV) Roy, S., Chakraborty, S. and Basu, A. 2017. In vitro Evaluation for Antagonistic

Potential of Some Bio Control Isolates against Important Foliar Fungal

Pathogens of Cowpea. Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci. 6(9): 2998-3011.

V) Seasonal incidence of foliar diseases of cowpea and their eco-friendly

management through shifting of planting time. Sanchari Roy and Amitava

Basu. ISSN:2338-1345- 9(1): 45-57. Available in online

Dr. PIYALI DUTTA

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

B.Sc. in Horticulture, 2012and and M.sc in Pomology and Postharvest Technology, 2014 from UBKV, Ph.D in Fruits and Orchard Management, 2018 form BCKV.

Email: piyali.du@snuniv.ac.in

• I have done Research on “Postharvest Treatments on Storage Life of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) in Himalayan Terai Region of West Bengal” for dissertation of M.Sc. (Hort.) in Pomology and Post-harvest Technology. (2012-2014).
• I have done Research on “Characterization and Evaluation of hybrids and polyembryonic varieties of Mango under West BengalCondition” for thesis of Ph.D in Fruits and orchard management. (2014-2017).
• I Worked in National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) project. (2018-2019).
• I have Given the farmers training in NSDC project. (2018).
• I Worked in APSSDC project on medicinal and aromatic plants for 10th and 12th class students. (2018).
• I was Co-guide of M.Sc horticulture Students for the guidance regarding M.Sc thesis. (2018-2019).
• I have 1 year 10 months Teaching experience in Centurion University of Technology & Management, Odisha. (2017-2019).
• I have 1year 11 months Teaching experience in School of Agriculture and Allied science, The Neotia University, West Bengal. (2019-2021).

DR. ARUNIMA KONAR

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

Graduation from VBU in 2012 and M.Sc. (Ag.) in Agricultural Economics from BCKV in 2014 and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from BCKV in 2019.

Email: arunima.k@snuniv.ac.in

Research on “An Economic Study of Growing Rapeseed and Mustard in Burdwan District of West Bengal” for dissertation of M.Sc. (Agriculture) in Agricultural Economics. (2012-2014).

Research on “Socio-Economic Study of Household Livelihood Security in Unorganised Sectors of Bankura District of West Bengal” for thesis of Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics. (2014-2019).

Research is focused on evaluating household livelihood with respect to economic, food, habitat, health, education, social and environmental securities of workers of unorganised sectors such as cultivation of agriculture, agri-business, fish-breeding, handloom and terracotta enterprise, calculation of consumer unit, calorie, protein, fat intake on the basis of nutrition chart based on Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and cost of cultivation of different crops.

Published book “Study of Rapeseed-Mustard in Burdwan District of West Bengal, India” from Lambert Publishing Academy (LAP).

Published 7 research papers in different reputed National and International journals and 12 popular articles.

Presented 6 abstracts in several National and International Conferences, Seminar and Symposium.

Enjoying University Research Scholarship during Ph.D. in B.CK.V, from 2014 to

2017. Enjoying Second position in presentation of Scientific article in the

International Seminar, ACRIL organized by CWSS, BCKV.

Dr. POULOMI SEN

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

B.Sc. (Ag) Hons in 2013; M.Sc. (Ag) & Ph D in Genetics and Plant Breeding in 2015 & 2021 respectively

Email: poulomi.s@snuniv.ac.in

Gold medalist during M.Sc. INSPIRE fellow during Ph. D.

Research experiences

“Identification of superior alleles for two phosphate deficient tolerance genes in rice” in M.Sc.

“Identification of new alleles and markers for the genes influencing major yield attributing parameters in rice” in Ph.D.

JRF on “Development of abiotic stress tolerant rice for West Bengal condition with special emphasis on drought and P deficiency” at (2015-2016), funded by BRNS-BARC.

Research Papers

Das, D., Sen, P., Purkayastha, S., Saha, A. K., Roy, A., Rai, P., Sen, S., Saha, S., Senapati, B. K., Biswas, T., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2021). A perfect PCR based co-dominant marker for low grain-arsenic accumulation genotyping in rice. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, 212, 111960. (First two authors share equal contributions, Impact Factor: 6.2, NAAS: 10.87).

Sen, P., Purkayastha, S., Das, D., Goswami, J., Sen, S., Rai, P., Biswas, T., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2021). Yield-enhancing SPIKE allele from the aus-subtype indica rice and its allele specific codominant marker. Journal of Genetics, 100, 36. (Impact Factor: 1.16, NAAS: 6.99).

Chatterjee, A., Chattopadhyay, T., Maji, A., Sen, P., & Ali, M. N. (2020). A review on conventional and molecular breeding approaches for exploring mechanisms underlying heat stress tolerance in wheat. Journal of Crop and Weed, 16(2), 24-35. (NAAS: 5.28)

Dr. Arindam Ghosh

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

Graduation in 2014, M.Sc in 2016, PhD in Agricultural Extension in 2020 from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya.

Email: arindam.g@snuniv.ac.in

He has graduated from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia in the year 2014 and completed his M.Sc. (Ag.) and Ph.D. in Agricultural Extension with research experiences on “People’s perception on Waste Management and Its scope for usage in Agriculture” and “Social ecology of waste recycling: The approach, process and impact” in 2016 & 2021 respectively. He has 19 research papers published in peer-review journals with national and international reputes along with 2 books and 10 popular articles. He attended more than 8 international and national conferences and seminars, trainings in his subject area. He got University Merit Scholarship, University Research Scholarship and Young Researcher Award 2021 by Institute of Scholars and recognized as Reviewer of the Journal “International Journal of Management and Social Studies”. He was associated with DAESI programme as a course facilitator at Ashoke Nagar Krishi Vigyan Kendra, North 24 parganas and was Livelihood Expert of CFP project at PRADAN and also have more than one year of Teaching experience at SNU. He has associated with different International Journals as a Reviewer.

DR. UMME SALMA

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

Ph. D. in Agricultural Biotechnology (BCKV)

Email: umme.s@snuniv.ac.in

Research experience:

• Evaluation of growth performance of Trichoderma viride on different culture media and its population count from carrier based culture and subsequently its packaging for distribution (under learning through organizational attachment programme during M.Sc.).

• Mites and insects on medicinal plants, assessment of biopesticides and effect of mite feeding on active ingredients (dissertation for M.Sc. in Agricultural Biotechnology; 2013-2015).

• Accelerated microcloning and in vitro elicitation of pharmacologically active ingredients in Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk” (Ph.D. in Agricultural Biotechnology; 2015-2020).

Commercial experience:

• Research Officer at Debgiri Agro Products Pvt. Ltd., managing the tissue culture plant’s mass production, seed production, pure line selection, and seed quality assessment (2019-2021).

Publications (Research and review articles- 13, Book chapters- 4):

Best three are as follows-

• Salma U, Kundu S, Ali MN, Mandal N (2018) Elicitor mediated enhancement of wedelolactone in cell suspension culture of Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture 134:409–421 (Impact factor: 2.711; NAAS: 8.20).

• Salma U, Kundu S, Hazra AK, Ali MN, Mandal N (2018) Augmentation of wedelolactone through in vitro tetraploid induction in Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 133:289–298 (Impact factor: 2.711; NAAS: 8.20).

• Kundu S, Salma U, Ali MN, Hazra AK, Mandal N (2018) Development of transgenic hairy roots and augmentation of secondary metabolites by precursor feeding in Sphagneticola calendulacea (L.) Pruski. Industrial Crops & Products 121:206–215 (Impact factor: 5.645; NAAS: 10.24).

DR. ANANYA GHOSH

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

Ph.D. in Agronomy from B.C.K.V

Email: ananya.g@snuniv.ac.in

Dr. Ananya Ghosh obtained the degree of B.Sc. (Ag.) Hons. in 2014; M.Sc. (Ag.) in 2016 & Ph.D. in Agronomy in 2021 with research title on “Studies on growth and productivity of Rice hybrids under SRI and conventional transplanting” and “Effect of Zinc and Iron on growth, productivity and grain quality of Relay Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus) in New Alluvial zone of West Bengal”, respectively. Published 12 research papers, in peer-review journals of national and international reputes along with 2 book chapters and 15 Popular Articles. Qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET), ICAR in Agronomy in 2022. Worked as a Senior Research Fellow (SRF) in IFAD-ICARDA project entitled “Enhancing food and nutritional security and improved livelihood through intensification of Rice fallow system with pulse crop in South-Asia (Bangladesh, India and Nepal)”. Attended more than 10 international and national conferences and seminars in the subject area. Received “Young Scientist Award” in “International Scientist Awards on Engineering, Science and Medicine” in 2022.

Dr. Aniket Baishya

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

B.Tech (2013) from B.C.K.V. and M.Tech (2018) from I.I.T. Kharagpur. Submitted PhD thesis in 2022.

Email: aniket.b@snuniv.ac.in

Dr. Aniket Baishya, qualified both GATE (2016) and NET (2019), has received his B.Tech degree (2013) in Agricultural Engineering from B.C.K.V. and M.Tech (2018) in Land and Water Resources Engineering from I.I.T. Kharagpur. Having more than three years experience of working as a Senior Research Fellow in Centre of Advanced Agricultural Sciences and Technology (CAAST) on Conservation Agriculture (CA) (funded by ICAR-NAHEP and World Bank). PhD thesis focused on improving water use efficiency through
micro-irrigation in different crops, tomato and cabbage in particular, under different conservation agriculture regimes. Having area of expertise includes irrigation, crop modelling, conservation agriculture, agricultural water management, remote sensing and GIS. Submitted PhD thesis in 2022 and awaiting for the award with the doctoral degree.

Published Research Papers: 4; Book Chapter: 1; Attended International and national conference: 3 and Workshop: 4

Dr. Augustina Saha

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

Ph. D (Agronomy)

Email: augustina.s@snuniv.ac.in

Dr. Shalini Sinha

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

B.Sc (Ag) Hons in 2013; M.Sc (Ag) & Ph.D in Agricultural Economics 2015 & 2019

Email: shalini.s@snuniv.ac.in

I aspire to work ingeniously for the enhancement and betterment of education. I am looking forward to utilizing my skills and abilities in the field of teaching and research that will enhance the knowledge of the students as well as It will offer me professional growth while being resourceful and innovative.

I have worked as an Assistant Professor in College of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab from 10.07.2019 to 19.11.2019.

I have also served as a Guest Faculty in renowned universities like Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (Extended campus), Burdwan Sadar, Burdwan,Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut, U.P. and Brainware University, Barasat, Kolkata.

I was a Recipient of University Research Scholarship (URS) at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal for Ph.D. degree.

Research Experiences

“Socio–Economic Analysis of Impact of Organized Retailing on the Unorganized Sector in West-Bengal”- M.Sc

“Impact of Modern Organized Retailing on Livelihood of Stakeholders of Traditional Retailing – An Economic Study in Kolkata”- Ph.D.

Research Papers

Published 8 research papers, several popular articles in reputed peer reviewed national and international journals, 2 book chapters and a book by published international book publishers.

Dr. Jayita Hore

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

Ph.D.

Email: jayita.h@snuniv.ac.in

I aspire to work ingeniously for the enhancement and betterment of education. I seek to utilize my skills and abilities in the teaching and research field that will enhance the knowledge of the students. As well as it will offer me professional growth while being resourceful and innovative. And be a contributor among my peers and to society at large. I was a Recipient of University Research Scholarship (URS) in the department of Agricultural Entomology at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal for Ph.D. degree. I have worked as an Assistant Professor in School of Agriculture in Swami Vivekananda University. My Ph.D. research work was on “Biodiversity study of insect fauna associated with banana and development of biointensive module for management of pseudostem weevil, Odoiporus longicollis.”

Research Papers: Published 7 research papers, several popular articles in reputed journals and magazines respectively, 2 book chapters and a book by published renowned publishers.

DR. PRIYANKA GHATAK

Assistant Professor - Agriculture

Ph.D. in Soil Science from B.C.K.V

Email: priyanka.gh@snuniv.ac.in

Priyanka Ghatak, completed her doctoral research (Ph.D.) from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (BCKV) on the topic “Impact of Long-term fertilization on soil physical properties” with University Research Scholarship (URS). She did her masters M.Sc (Ag) from BCKV in 2017 on the topic “Studies on Drip Irrigation and Nitrogen Management in Sweet Corn”. She has qualified ASRB-ICAR(NET) in 2017. She has completed B.Sc (Ag) from Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (UBKV) in 2015.                            She bagged the best poster award on 7th annual convention of SFE on “Agrochemicals for upkeeping environment “organized by B.C.K.V. on 27th Aug, 2020. She is a member of “Indian Society of Soil Science (ISSS). She has more than 3.5 years of teaching experience including at the Centurion University of Technology & Management, Odisha and Seacom Skills University, Birbhum. She has more than 10 research papers, short articles published in national and internationally peer reviewed reputed journals; more than 2 book chapters and patent publication.

Skills and expertise: Soil Science, Soil Physics, Nutrient Analysis, Composting

Dr. Moumita Das

Assistant Professor and HOD - Nutrition

Ph.D. in Physiology, Calcutta University

Email: moumita.d@snuniv.ac.in

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. in Physiology, Calcutta University
• M.Sc. in Human Physiology (Spl. In Clinical Biochemistry, Nutrition and Dietetics), Calcutta University
• B.Sc.(H) in Human Physiology, Calcutta University

AWARDS RECEIVED:

• Received Prof. Sacchidananda Banerjee Memorial Young Scientist Award, 2019 on the published paper “Hepatoprotective effects of green Capsicum annum against ethanol induced oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in rats”.
• Ranked 1^st in Master of Science (M.Sc. in Human Physiology) Examination, 2012.

RESEARCH INTEREST:

Dr. Das is interested in research involving the prevalence of lifestyle induced non-communicable diseases in the society, the risk factors associated with it and the role of nutraceuticals in the prevention of these diseases. Community nutrition and public health are the primary focus area.

Study involving green synthesis of nanoparticles and their efficacy in preventing diseases is also one of the fascinating fields of his research. This could lead to new arena of research in nutraceuticals and their efficacy in preventing lifestyle induced several diseases.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• 5 years of Research Experience
• 6 years of teaching experience at both under-graduate and post-graduate level
• 2 Invited Lectures at the Physiological Society of India.

TEACHING AREA:

• System Physiology
• Food Science
• Basic Nutrition
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Pathophysiology and Dietetics

RESEARCH GROUP:

• 6 P.G. Students
• 4 U.G. Students

PUBLICATION

• 15 Original Research Article Publication in reputed National and International Journals
• 3 Book Chapter
• 7 National Conference proceedings and 2 International Conference proceedings

Asmita Bhattacharjee

Assistant Professor - Nutrition

M.Sc in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, PhD scholar at Jadavpur University.

Email: asmita.b@snuniv.ac.in

Done my graduation and postgraduation in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics from Gokhale Memorial Girls' College and SNDT University,Mumbai respectively. Worked as an Invited Lecturer at Gokhale Memorial Girls' College for 1.5 years. Pursuing PhD on value added food product development at Jadavpur University, Dept. Of Food Technology and Biochemical Engineering.

DR. Shreyasi Halder

Assistant Professor - Nutrition

M.Sc., BEd., Ph.D.

Email: shreyasi.h@snuniv.ac.in

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. in Food and Nutrition, University of Calcutta (2024)
• B.Ed. in Food and Nutrition, University of Calcutta (2017)
• M.Sc. in Food and Nutrition, University of Calcutta (2015)
• B.Sc. (Hons.) in Food and Nutrition, University of Calcutta (2013)

AWARDS RECEIVED:

• Uma Mukherjee Memorial Scholarship from the University of Calcutta in recognition of securing the highest marks in BSc. (Hons.), 2013 amongst the admitted students & prosecuting P.G. course in Food & Nutrition at the University of Calcutta.
• Received Post-Graduate Merit Scholarship for University Rank Holder by UGC, 2013
• Received Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) by UGC, 2016
• Received 3rd position for presenting a paper in “One Day National Conference on Food & Nutrition Security: Thus Far and Further organized by Nutrition Society of India, Calcutta Chapter”, Jadavpur University in 2018
• Winner of Lecture Competition Ph.D. scholar in “5th Annual Conference of Society for Nutrition and Dietetics in collaboration with ICN Calcutta Chapter” Jadavpur University in 2019

RESEARCH INTEREST:

• Medicinal plants and herbs
• Low-cost nutritious food
• Therapeutic Nutrition
• Public Health Nutrition
• Sustainable Nutrition
• Nutritional Psychiatry

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• 7 years of research experience
• 3 years of teaching experience at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels

TEACHING AREA:

• Human Physiology
• Food Science
• Nutrition Science
• Medical Nutrition therapy
• Nutritional Biochemistry

PRESENT RESEARCH GROUP:

• 8 P.G. Students
• 3 U.G. Students

PUBLICATION:

• 8 Publications in reputed National and International Journals
• 1 Book Chapter

Google scholar link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=DrtqIGMAAAAJ

ResearchGate link: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shreyasi-Halder

ORCiD iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1199-009X

Falah Ismail

Assistant Professor - Nutrition

M.Sc in Food and Nutrition from J.D. Birla Institute affiliated with Jadavpur University

Email:

Falah Ismail is an Assistant Professor at Sister Nivedita University, specializing in Food and Nutrition. She earned her M.Sc in Food and Nutrition from J.D. Birla Institute affiliated with Jadavpur University, focusing on "Development of Food Product from Underutilised Leaves and its Analysis". She has 5 publications including paper and chapter publications in UGC-approved journals. Her research interests include nutritionally rich food product development. At the university, she fosters a collaborative learning environment, engaging students in research and contributing to academic initiatives. Falah is committed to research and new advances in the field of nutrition and supporting the university's mission.

TRINA DAS

Assistant Professor - Nutrition

M.Sc., B.Ed. (FOOD & NUTRITION), UGC NET – JRF, Ph.D. (Pursuing), University of Calcutta.

Email: trina.d@snuniv.ac.in

RESEARCH INTEREST :

Ms. Das has expertise in protein nutraceutical development utilizing industrial food waste and its therapeutic application against lifestyle disorders. She has also worked on developing food nanoemulsion and its characterization.  Her future research interest is exploring nanotechnology for food product development, and sustainable nutrition through waste utilization.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• 6 yearsof research experience
• 5 years of voluntary teaching experience at the undergraduate level

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Ranked 1st (Gold medalist) in M.Sc. 2015 (University of Calcutta)
• Ranked 5th in B.Sc. 2013 (University of Calcutta).
• Secured Third position (poster competition) in the international conference on " Application of oils and fats in FMCG sectors" organized by OTAI, 2024.

TEACHING EXPERTISE:

• Food Science
• Food Chemistry
• Therapeutic nutrition
• Food Microbiology
• Nutritional biochemistry

PUBLICATIONS:

• 2 original research articles in peer-reviewed international journals.
• 1 review article in peer-reviewed Elsevier journal.

Dr. Arpita Banerjee

Assistant Professor - Nutrition

M.Sc., Ph.D. from University of Calcutta

Email: arpita.b@snuniv.ac.in

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ph.D. in Home Science (Food and Nutrition), University of Calcutta
• Qualified UGC-NET JRF
• M.Sc. in Food and Nutrition, University of Calcutta
• B.Sc. (Hons.) in Food and Nutrition, University of Calcutta

SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS:

• 2009-2014: Recipient of Annual Scholarship for 5 years (UG+PG) under the Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students,Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Higher Education, Government of India.
• 2012: Stood First-Class-Second from University of Calcutta, in
• Graduation examinations (B.Sc. in Food and Nutrition).
• 2014: Stood First-Class-Third from University of Calcutta, in Post-Graduation examinations (M.Sc. in Home Science).
• 2018: Recipient of First Prize for Best Poster Presentation at the International Conference organized by ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition
• 2024: Recipient of First Prize for Best Oral Presentation at the International Conference organized by the Oil Technologists Association of India (OTAI).

PUBLICATIONS:

Research Article:

• Banerjee, A., Ganguly, S., Chatterjee, N., & Dhar, P. (2023). Discerning the proximate composition, anti-oxidative and prebiotic properties of de-oiled meals: Mustard and Rice-bran. Food Chemistry Advances, 2, 100247.
• Banerjee, A., Ganguly, S., Chatterjee, N., & Dhar, P. (2022). Evaluating the Nutritional Composition, Anti-oxidative, and Prebiotic Properties of de-oiled Sesame and Linseed Meals.
• Das, T., Chatterjee, N., Chakraborty, A., Banerjee, A., Haiti, S. B., Datta, S., ... & Dhar, P. (2023). Fabrication of rice bran oil nanoemulsion and conventional emulsion with Mustard Protein Isolate as a novel excipient: Focus on shelf-life stability, lipid digestibility and cellular bioavailability. Food Hydrocolloids for Health, 4, 100143.

Review article:

• Arpita Banerjee, and Pubali Dhar. "Amalgamation of polyphenols and probiotics induce health promotion." Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 59, no. 18 (2019): 2903-2926.

Book Chapter:

• Arpita Banerjee and Dr. Pubali Dhar (December 2022). An Introduction to the Gut Microbes. NUTRIGRAM. Udaynarayanpur Madhabilata Mahavidyalaya. (14-18)ISBN: 978-81-954644-0-1

Newspaper article:

• Arpita Banerjee and Dr. Pubali Dhar. “Can Probiotics confer protection against COVID-19?” India Blooms, (June 2020).Link: https://www.indiablooms.com/health-details/H/6807/can-probiotics-confer-protection-against-covid-19.html

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

• Nutraceuticals
• Functional Foods
• Bioactivity of indigenous foods
• Nutrition communication

GOOGLE SCHOLAR PROFILE: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=v_1oy64AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra

ORCID ID: 0009-0005-6140-8047, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6140-8047 

SCOPUS ID: 37029589500, https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6140-8047

Beepsa Basu

Lecturer - Nutrition

M.Sc., Registered PhD scholar

Email: beepsa.b@snuniv.ac.in

Completed my graduation and post-graduation in Food Science and Nutrition from J.D.Birla Institute, Jadavpur University. Worked as an Subject matter expert in a NGO, for a project. Invited as an evaluator in Food Corporation of India for Nutrition month celebration. Currently I'm Pursuing PhD on Food microbiology at Sister Nivedita University.

Ranjit Bhowmick

Academic Instructor - Nutrition

M.Sc.(Botany), GATE(Life Science), B.Ed

Email: ranjit.b@snuniv.ac.in

EXTRA QUALIFICATION :

GATE(Life Science) 2023, CTET 2022, WBTET 2022 qualified. Diploma in Information Technology
and Computer Application.

ACHIEVEMENTS :

• Represented West Bengal State University at National level(Wet Lab Championship in IIT Delhi).
• Recipient of Smt. Giribala Mondal Smriti Puraskar for scoring highest marks in English subject(HS level) in School.

EXPERTISE :

• DNA Extraction, Fungi Identification, Laboratory Instrument Handling.
• I have previous experience in molecular biology (RT-PCR test of COVID-19) field.

RESEARCH INTEREST :

• Plant Pathology, Molecular Virology, Plant Pathogen Interaction.
• Dissertation topic in M.Sc. - "Phytophthora in Forests and Natural Ecosystems."

ADRIJA SENGUPTA

SENIOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANT - Nutrition

BTech. in Food Technology from MAKAUT

Email: adrija.s@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Qualification

BTech. in Food Technology from MAKAUT

Teaching Experience 

• Working as Senior Technical Assistant in the Department of Applied Nutrition and Dietetics, Sister Nivedita University.
• Worked as Senior Technical Assistant at the Department of Food Technology, Techno Main, Salt Lake.

Expertise

• Organizing training programmes with local entrepreneurs.
• Handling of Govt. Funded Projects viz. TIFAC CORE, MOFPI through analytic assessment of samples and sophisticated instruments.
• Preparation of protocols for chemical analysis of food as per standards and FSSAI norms.
• Teaching Learning Methodologies as per NBA requirements.
• Evaluation and research on "New Food Product Development".
• Sampling of product samples in accordance to standard sampling plans and procedures.
• Calibration of Instruments.

Certificates

• ISTE STTP on Environmental Studies – IIT Bombay
• STTP on Water for Drinking and Impact on Public Health – NITTTR Kolkata
• STTP on Laboratory Safety Management – NITTTR Kolkata

Dr. A.N. Lahiri Majumder

Mentor - Microbiology and Biotechnology

Post-Doctoral Research from National Institutes of Health, USA (1973-1976) as Fogarty International Visiting Fellow/Associate.

Email:

E D U C A T I O N

DSc in Biochemistry from University of Calcutta, Kolkata.

Post-Doctoral Research from National Institutes of Health, USA (1973-1976) as Fogarty International Visiting Fellow/Associate.

Ph.D. in Botany from University of Calcutta, Kolkata.

M. Sc. in Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata.

B.Sc. (H) in Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata.

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R ES T

Major research contributions are in the area of inositols and phosphoinositides in relation to the biochemistry & molecular analysis, genetics, and biotechnological application of the pathways for attaining a stress-tolerant phenotype. Briefly these involve:

• Molecular identification of the key pathway enzyme inositol synthase as an evolutionarily conserved ancient protein & gene across biological kingdom. Further identification of an evolutionarily conserved pentapeptide as the “core component” at it’s active site domain.
• Identification of salt-tolerant proteins and their genes (PcIno1 & PcIMT1) from wild halophytic rice Oryza coarctata, their indepth molecular studies and generation of homozygous crop plants for attainment of salt-tolerant trait. Studies on the phosphoinositide specific Phospholipase C as a target for stress tolerance.
• Newer extension pathways of the inositol metabolism in wild rice plants and studies of their regulation under adverse environment. Indepth studies on the promoters and cis elements of the different pathway genes as common key for coordinated regulation of inositol pathways under environmental stress.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• He held the positions of a Lecturer, Reader, Professor and Chairman at the Department of Botany, School of Life Sciences, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan (1977-91).
• Professor of Botany, Bose Institute, Kolkata (1991-1995) and as Senior Professor & Head, Plant Molecular and Cellular Genetics/Division of Plant Biology Bose Institute between 1995 -2011.
• He also worked at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA (1979,1980,1982); University of Ohio, USA (sabbatical, 1986-88); University of Arizona, USA (1994,1996,1998,1999); and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA (2000,2002,2005).
• He was a Raja Ramanna Fellow (2011-2016) and an INSA Senior Scientist (2016-2022).

A W A R D S   &  H O N O U R S

• Elected Fellow, Indian National Science Academy (FNA), Indian Academy of Science (FASc), National Academy of Sciences (FNASc), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS), West Bengal Academy of Science & Technology (FASc&T)
• Elected Member, Guha Research Conference 2001)
• SB Saksena Award from the Indian National Science Academy (2008)
• Sadakharaswamy Endowment Lecture Award, SBC(I) (1994/1995)
• Parija Memorial Award, Utkal University (2001)
• S N Pattnyak Memorial Oration Award, Bhubaneswar University (2017)
• J C Sengupta Endowment Award, West Bengal Academy of Science & Technology, 2018.
• Foundation Day Award, Bose Institute (1998).
• Career Development Award, UGC (1980-83).
• Fogarty International Center Visiting Fellowship/Associateship, NIH, USA (1973 – 1976)
• Sir Rashbehari Ghosh Travelling Fellowship, Calcutta University (1982).
• Rockefeller Biotechnology Career Fellowship (1998-2003)

Dr. Dwaipayan Bharadwaj

Senior Professor - Microbiology and Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

Email: dwaipayan.b@snuniv.ac.in

Ex-Professor, Systems Genomics Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Academic Background

• Ph.D in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

• M.Sc. in Zoology, University of Calcutta, India

• B.Sc. (Hons.) in Zoology, University of Calcutta, India

Research Interests

1. Functional genomics of complex disorders like type II diabetes and childhood obesity

Teaching Areas

• Human Genetics

• Molecular Biology

• Genomics & Biotechnology

Awards & Honours

• Prof. L. D. Sanghvi Oration Award, Indian Society of Human Genetics (ISHG) 2022.

• Prof. G. K. Manna Memorial Award, The Indian Science Congress 2018-2019

• Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (F.N.A.Sc.), India (2011).

• MDRF-UOM Oration Award (2011)

• DBT-CREST Award (2011)

Publications

• 100+ peer-reviewed research articles, reviews, and book chapters in high-impact journals, including Nature Genetics, Diabetes, BMC Genomics

Citations: 7644, h-index: 35, i10-index: 70

Academic Service

• Reviewer for leading genomics and bioinformatics journals

• Organizer and resource person for national and international training programs, conferences, and workshops

Dr. Rajat Pal

Assistant Director - Biotechnology

Post-Doc Research, Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta.

Email: rajat.p@snuniv.ac.in

 E D U C A T I O N 

Post-Doc Research, Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta.

Ph.D. in Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta.

GATE – 2009 in Life Science

M. Sc. In Microbiology, University of Calcutta

M.Sc. in Bioinformatics, Sikkim Manipal University

Post Graduate Diploma in Bioinformatics, DOEACC, Govt. of India. JU Campus

B.Sc. (H) in Microbiology, Calcutta University

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

The primary focus of Prof. Pal’s research is studying bioremediation of heavy metal toxicity by microorganisms, and elucidating the molecular mechanisms of heavy metal toxicity (e.g. Antimony) resistance in several plant bodies. Specifically, he studies the genetic makeup and molecular pathways involved in heavy metal resistant bacteria by identifying the responsible genes and the genetic evolution of these genes. Alongside, he is investigating the role of selection pressure on the evolution of the heavy metal resistance in bacteria. The goal of this research is to discover the heavy metal toxicity resistant bacteria mediated protective mechanisms of plants and the evolution of these resistant bacteria.

The Pal lab is also analyzing the formulation and application of novel drug-nanoparticle conjugates, and the efficacy of nanocomposites using animal models. He is looking to identify the mechanisms by which nanocomposites impart protective effects against bacterial and cancer cell growth.

Additionally, Prof. Pal uses bioinformatics tools and computational models to solve molecular structures of nanoparticles and nanocomposite material. Through bioinformatics, he aims to understand the genetic alterations in heavy metal resistant bacteria.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Dr. Pal has 14 years of teaching, 12 years of research experience and three years of industry experience.
• He had been appointed as Examiner for both UG and PG level examinations at many colleges and University.
• He is member of Indian Science Congress, Indian Mycological Society, Microbiologist society, India.
• He has eighteen international journal publications and more than thirty national and international conference publications.
• Recipient of Gold Medal from Department of Botany, Calcutta University.
• Recipient of seven national level awards

R E S E A R C H   G R O U P

• Two Ph.D. students
• Three research trainees
• Two M.Sc. Project trainees
• 12 PG research students
• 24 UG research students

P U B L I C A T I O N S

• 13 Research
• 5 Review Articles
• 2 Book chapters
• 2 Books

T e a c h i n g   A r e a

• Biochemistry
• Microbiology
• Molecular Biology
• Bioinformatics
• Nanotechnology

Dr. S. T. Choudhury

HOD - Biotechnology

Ph.D in Biochemistry, Calcutta University

Email: somsubhra.tc@snuniv.ac.in

E D U C A T I O N

Ph.D in Biochemistry, Calcutta University

GATE – 2010 in Life Science

M.Sc. in Microbiology Calcutta University

B.Sc. in Microbiology Calcutta University

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

Prof. Thakur Choudhury is involved in research on two major areas. Drug delivery system deals with the delivery of a therapeutic agent to the specific site in our body. The therapeutic agents or drugs have long been used to improve our health, to fight against the diseases and providing us an extended life. But the majority of the therapeutic agents face some major drawbacks like toxicity, resistance and poor bioavailability. In this respect, the drug delivery technology has opened a new avenue to improve the therapeutic efficacy of the drug.

Prof. Thakur Choudhury’s research interest is to explore the drug delivery field specifically liposomal and nanoparticulated drug delivery. Primarily he wants to develop new formulations of conventional drugs to improve their therapeutic efficacy. In future, the prime objective will be to develop target specific delivery of cytotoxic drugs for critical diseases like cancer.

Diagnosis of a disease is very important for proper and timely medication. In recent years a major thrust in the field of research is to develop an easy as well as efficient diagnostic tool for detection of disease. His objective is to develop easy, field adaptable diagnostic kits with higher sensitivity and specificity for the early detection of different infectious diseases as well as for different neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Prof. Thakur Choudhury has 2 years of teaching and 8 Years of Research experience.
• He has 10 international journal and several conference publications.

R E S E A R C H G R O U P

• One Ph.D. student
• Three UG research students

T E A C H I N G   A R E A

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Drug Designing and Drug Delivery

R E S E A R C H   A R E A

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Cancer Biology
• Molecular Diagnostic

Dr. Amarnath Mukherjee

Professor - Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Cancer Targeted Gene and Drug Delivery Systems, CSIR–Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, India

Email: amarnath.m@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Ph.D. in Cancer Targeted Gene and Drug Delivery Systems, CSIR–Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, India

• Postdoctoral Research, Yale University, USA

• Postdoctoral Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
   

Research Interests
Dr. Mukherjee’s research focuses on the development of next-generation cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, with a strong emphasis on integrating nanotechnology, molecular targeting, and translational medicine. His work spans the design, in vitro characterization, and in vivo validation of cancer-targeted nanoparticles for combined diagnosis and therapy (“theragnostics”), enabling precision treatment strategies with real-time monitoring. In parallel, he is actively engaged in biomarker discovery for early detection and the development of innovative formulations that bridge laboratory innovations with commercial healthcare applications, accelerating the translation of advanced nanomedicine into clinical practice.

Current research themes:

1. Cancer-targeted nanomedicine for diagnosis and therapy

2. Biomarker-based early detection systems for oncology

3. Targeted gene delivery systems in oncology

4. Antibody conjugation for oncology applications
    

Teaching Areas

• Pharmaceutical Science and Drug Delivery

• Nanomedicine

• Translational Research & Biomedical Product Development
   

Awards & Honours

• Recipient of postdoctoral fellowships at Yale and Johns Hopkins University

• Secured international research grants

• International patent holder in nanomedicine

• Best poster award at John Hopkins University

• PI/Co-PI on funded projects in cancer diagnostics, therapeutics, and biomarker development
   

Publications

• 12 peer-reviewed research articles in oncology, nanomedicine, and diagnostics

• 1 international patent in cancer-targeted nanomedicine

Total Impact factor: 50, Total citation: 850+, H-Index: 10
 

Academic & Professional Service

• Industry R&D experience at Siemens Healthineers (USA) developing commercial diagnostic formulations for HIV and prostate cancer screening

• Experience in cross-functional industrial groups and commercialization of healthcare products

Dr. Sudipta Saha

Associate Professor - Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Life Science – CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Email: sudipta.s@snuniv.ac.in

Ex-Assistant Professor (III), Amity Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Amity University, Noida.

Academic Background

• Pool Scientist (CSIR), – CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India

• Post Doctorate – Chang Gung University, Taiwan

• Post Doctorate – Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan

• Ph.D. in Life Science – CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India

• M.Sc. in Physiology – Presidency College, University of Calcutta, India

• B.Sc. in Physiology (Hons.) – City College, University of Calcutta, India

Research Interests

Cell and molecular biology, reproductive biology, protein biochemistry, bio-instrumentation, and translational research.

Current research themes:

• Therapeutic applications of sperm motility stimulating/inhibiting proteins

• Cytokinesis regulatory proteins in gamete development

• Antimicrobial proteins from reproductive fluids

• Instrumentation for advanced motility analysis

Teaching Areas

•  Cell Biology & Physiology

•  Reproductive/Developmental Biology

•  Physiology

•  Bioinstrumentation

Awards & Honours

•  Awarded Best Poster Award, Bangalore India Bio, 2011.

• Awarded Honorable Mention Award in India Innovation Pioneers Challenge Business Plan Competition, Indo-US Science & Technology Forum, New Delhi, 2009.

•  Finalist in BioAsia Innovation Award, BioAsia, Hyderabad, 2009.

• Finalist in Ranbaxy Young Scientist Award, Ranbaxy Research Laboratories, Gurgaon, 2008.

• Awarded Biotech Idea to Innovation Award, British Council, New Delhi, 2007.

• Awarded Best Poster Award, International Congress On Gamete Biology: Emerging Frontiers In Fertility And Contraceptive Development, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, 2006.

Research Grants

• DST-Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)-Start-up Research Grant (2019): Isolation and characterization of the receptor of sperm motility stimulating protein from sperm membrane and finding its role and mechanism in fertility management. (SERB File Number: SRG/2019/000501, Fund: Rs. 2975369.00)

• WBDSTBT-RISE Internship Grant (2025): Investigating the Morphological and Biochemical Impact of a Naturally Derived Agent on Cancer Cell. Rs. 75000.00

Publications

18+ research articles in leading journals (Fertility & Sterility, Cytometry Part A, Cell Cycle, etc.); 2 patents, several book chapters and e-books.

 Total citation: 220+, H-Index: 9

Academic Service

Recipient of SERB Start-up Research Grant; multiple national and international awards.

External Examiner, Question Paper setter for different Universities

Manuscript reviewer for several journals

Dr. Asis K. Jana

Assistant Professor - Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. Post-Doctoral Research from University of Oklahoma, United States.

Email:

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

Dr. Jana is involved in research to understand the structure, dynamics, and thermodynamics of complex biomolecular systems at atomistic resolution using theory and computational tools.  One of the major focusses is to understand the self-assembly pathways of the intrinsically disordered proteins, which is linked to a variety of "protein aggregation disorders" such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, and the modulation of their aggregation pathways with suitable nanomaterials and ligand binding using computer simulation techniques.

Since last year, Dr. Jana is also investigating SARS-COV-2 induced amyloid formation as a way to explain some of the long-term effects troubling COVID-19 survivors. For instance, symptoms of “Long COVID” and the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in adults (MIS-A) resemble Serum Amyloid A (SAA) amyloidosis, and SAA overproduction is a symptom of COVID-19. Similarly, it has been shown that SARS-COV-2 infection can trigger Parkinson’s disease which is connected with alpha-Synuclein amyloid formation. We suspect similar relationships with amyloid-beta peptide, implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Dr. Jana has 12 years of research experience.
• He has 15 international journal research publications and two international conference publications.
• He has mentored in several B. Tech, M. Tech, M.Sc. and Ph.D. students in national and international universities.
• Recipient of two national level fellowships (UGC-NET and GATE).

R E S E A R C H   G R O U P

• 2 PG research students
• 5 UG research students

T E A C H I N G  A R E A

• Mathematics and Biostatistics
• Computational Biology
• Chemistry

P U B L I C A T I O N S

• 15 Research Articles
• 1 Review Article

Dr. Surjit Singh

Assistant Professor - Biotechnology

Ph.D. Biotechnology, TIGP-MBAS, Academia Sinica & NCHU, Taiwan. Postdoctoral research, ABRC, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.

Email: surjit.s@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

Postdoctoral Research – Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center (ABRC), Academia Sinica, Taiwan

Ph.D. in Biotechnology – Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP-MBAS), Academia Sinica & National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan

M.Sc. in Applied Microbiology, VIT University, India

B.Sc. in Microbiology (Hons.), MAKAUT, India

Research Interests

Dr. Singh’s research integrates plant molecular biology, microbial biotechnology, and environmental geochemistry.

Current research themes:

1. Nutrient stress and epigenetic regulation of flowering in model and crop plants

1. Microbial detoxification and bioremediation for environmental sustainability

Teaching Areas

• Molecular Biology

• Genetic Engineering

• Plant Biotechnology

• Microbiology

Publications

11 Research Articles; 4 Review Articles; 2 Book Chapters; 20+ Conference Presentations.

Academic Service

Internal Biosafety Committee Member; Faculty Coordinator; Exam Coordinator, conference organizer; journal reviewer and topic editor.

Dr. Souri Roy

Assistant Professor - Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Molecular genetics, Plant genetic engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur

Email: souri.r@snuniv.ac.in

International:

1. Snehasish Sarkar, Souri Roy & Sudip Kumar Ghosh (2021) Development of marker-free transgenic pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) expressing a pod borer insecticidal protein.  Scientific Reports, Nature, 11, 10543. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90050-8

2. Snehasish Sarkar, Souri Roy, Sudip Kumar Ghosh and Asitava Basu (2019) Application of lateral branching to overcome the recalcitrance of in vitro regeneration of Agrobacterium-infected Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.). Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, Springer Nature, 137, pages 23–32. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11240-018-01547-6

3. Jagannath Bhattacharyya, Anirban Chakraborty, Souri Roy, Soumitra Kumar Sen (2015) Genetic transformation of cultivated jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) by particle bombardment using apical meristem tissue and development of stable transgenic plant. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 121, pages 311–324. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11240-014-0702-2  

4. Souri Roy, Snehasish Sarkar, Sudip Kumar Ghosh Development of a rapid and highly efficient in-vitro somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration of P.  glaucum (L) from shoot apical meristem (Under review)

National

5. Rajib Roychowdhury, Souri Roy, and Jagatpati Tah (2013) Estimation of heritable components of variation and character selection in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) for mutation breeding programme. Continental J. Biological Sciences 4 (2): 31-36. https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20123299341

Conferrence Proceding

1. 18th European Congress On Biotechnology 1-4 July 2018, Geneva Switzerland

Souri Roy, Snehasish Sarkar and Sudip Kumar Ghosh (2018) Somatic embryogenesis of sweet pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), a rich source of cellulosic biomass, New Biotechnology, Volume 1113, Issue 1-3, Pages 1871-6784, Elsevier, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbt.2018.05.985.

2. 43^rd FEBS Congress 7-12 July 2018, Prague, Czech Republic

 Snehasish Sarkar, Souri Roy, Sudip K.Ghosh (2018) Development of marker-free pod borer resistant Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan). FEBS Open Bio, 8: P.07-022. https://doi:10.1002/2211-5463.12453

DR. SIDDHARTHA DUTTA

Assistant Professor - Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

Email: siddhartha.d@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Pool Scientist (CSIR), National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India

• Research Associate, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, USA

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada

• Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

• M.Sc. in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, India

• B.Sc. in Botany, Ravenshaw University, India

Research Interests

Dr. Dutta’s research focuses on chloroplast biogenesis, protein import, and light signaling in plants, using biochemical and transgenic approaches to enhance productivity. His work also explores chloroplasts as industrial platforms and strategies to improve plant growth, stress resilience, and crop yields.

Current research themes:

1. Mechanisms of chloroplast protein import and regulation

1. Light signaling pathways in early plant development

Teaching Areas

• Plant Biotechnology

• Plant Physiology

• Genetics

• Recombinant DNA Technology

Publications

20+ research articles in journals including Plant Physiology, The Plant Journal, Journal of Experimental Botany, and Plant Molecular Biology; book chapters and reviews on chloroplast engineering, stress responses, and photomorphogenesis.

Academic Service

• Recipient of Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, Extramural Grant for a 3-year project on the development of a higher-yielding tomato plant. 

• Active collaborator in national and international plant science research networks; regular peer reviewer for reputed journals.

DR. SANKHA SUBHRA DAS

Assistant Professor - Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Genetics from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. Post-Doctoral Research from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USA.

Email: sankhsubhra.d@snuniv.ac.in

EDUCATION

Post-Doctoral Research in Human Genetics, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USA

Ph.D. in Genetics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

M.Sc. in Genetics, University of Calcutta

B.Sc. (H) in Zoology, Scottish Church College, University of Calcutta

FELLOWSHIP AND AWARDS

Newton Bhabha PhD placement Fellowship (2018)

CSIR Junior Research Fellowship (JRF-NET) (2015)

Indian Academy of Science Summer Research Fellowship (2013)

RESEARCH INTEREST

Dr. Das’s research focuses on understanding how genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to complex traits and diseases such as cardiometabolic diseases. He utilizes multi-omics approaches to investigate gene regulatory mechanisms at single cell resolution.

PUBLICATIONS (SELECTED)

Das SS, Kar A, Rajkumar S, Lee SHT, Alvarez M, Pietiläinen KH, Pajukanta P. Cross-tissue single nucleus RNA sequencing discovers tissue-resident adipocytes involved in propanoate metabolism in the human heart. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2023;43(10):1788-1804.

Garske K, Kar A, Comenho C, Baillu B, Pan D, Bhagat Y, Rosenberg G, Koka A, Das SS, Miao Z, Sinsheimer J, Kaprio J, Pietiläinen K, and Pajukanta P. Increased body mass index is linked to systemic inflammation through altered chromatin co-accessibility in human preadipocytes. Nature Communications. 2023;14(1):4214.

Kar A, Alvarez M, Garske KM, Huang H, Lee SHT, Deal M, Das SS, Koka A, Jamal Z, Mohlke KL, Laakso M, Heinonen S, Pietiläinen KH, Pajukanta P. Age-dependent genes in adipose stem and precursor cells affect regulation of fat cell differentiation and link aging to obesity via cellular and genetic interactions. Genome Medicine. 2024;16(1):19.

Darci-Maher N, Alvarez M, Arasu UT, Selvarajan I, Lee SHT, Pan DJ, Miao Z, Das SS, Kaminska D, Örd T, Benhammou JN, Wabitsch M, Pisegna JR, Männistö V, Pietiläinen KH, Laakso M, Sinsheimer JS, Kaikkonen MU, Pihlajamäki J, Pajukanta P. Cross-tissue omics analysis discovers ten adipose genes encoding secreted proteins in obesity-related non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. EBioMedicine. 2023;92:104620.

Das SS, Chakravorty N. Identification of deleterious SNPs and their effects on BCL11A, the master regulator of fetal hemoglobin expression. Genomics. 2020 Jan;112(1):397-403.

Das SS, Mitra A, Chakravorty N. Diseases and their clinical heterogeneity - Are we ignoring the SNiPers and micRomaNAgers? An illustration using Beta-thalassemia clinical spectrum and fetal hemoglobin levels. Genomics. 2019 Jan;111(1):67-75.

TEACHING AREA

• Human Genetics
• Genetic Engineering
• Bioinformatics

Dr. Mahua Ghara

Assistant Professor - Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Ecology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Email: mahua.g@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Ph.D. in Ecology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

• Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Israel

• Postdoctoral Fellow, IISER Mohali, Punjab, India

• M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Botany, Hindu College, University of Delhi, India

Research Interests

Dr. Ghara’s work integrates ecology, evolution, and plant–animal interactions, with expertise in pollination, herbivory, florivory, multi-trophic interactions, and climate change impacts. She has researched floral traits, sensory ecology, and agro-ecology in both natural and agricultural systems.

Current research themes:

1. Pollinator-mediated selection and plant reproductive strategies

1. Sustainability and biodiversity in agro-ecosystems

Teaching Areas

• Ecology and Evolution

• Plant–Animal Interactions

• Agro-ecology and Conservation Biology

Publications

Multiple research articles, book chapters, and invited contributions in journals such as American Journal of Botany and Oecologia; reports for national climate change and pollinator vulnerability assessments.

Academic Service

Reviewer for Acta Oecologica, Current Science, Tropical Ecology; extensive science communication through nature walks, public talks, and educational programs.

Aniket Mukherjee

Assistant Professor - Biotechnology

GATE (XL) Qualified, M.E. in Bioprocess Engineering, Jadavpur University, India

Email: aniket.m@snuniv.ac.in

Research Interests
Mr. Mukherjee’s research focuses on sustainable bioprocess development and renewable bioenergy. His work emphasizes the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass for advanced biofuels, including aviation jet fuel, along with nanobiotechnology and enzyme-assisted process intensification. His broader interests include enzyme technology, food biotechnology, and industrial biotechnology.

Current Research Themes

1. Sustainable production of biofuels

2. Microbial metabolic engineering for enhanced product yields

3. Enzyme-immobilized nanomaterial-assisted bioprocessing

4. Kinetics of multi-enzyme systems in bioprocessing

5. Process optimization for industrial-scale fermentation

6. Momentum transfer and mixing dynamics in bioreactors
    

Teaching Areas

• Biochemistry

• Biophysical Chemistry and Instrumentation

• Bioprocess Technology

• Transport Operations

• Fermentation Technology

• Food Biotechnology

• Enzyme Technology

Smita Shaw

Laboratory Assistant - Biotechnology

Email:

Mr Diptendu Chakraborty

Laboratory Assistant - Biotechnology

Email:

Dr. A.N. Lahiri Majumder

Mentor - Microbiology and Biotechnology

Post-Doctoral Research from National Institutes of Health, USA (1973-1976) as Fogarty International Visiting Fellow/Associate.

Email:

E D U C A T I O N

DSc in Biochemistry from University of Calcutta, Kolkata.

Post-Doctoral Research from National Institutes of Health, USA (1973-1976) as Fogarty International Visiting Fellow/Associate.

Ph.D. in Botany from University of Calcutta, Kolkata.

M. Sc. in Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata.

B.Sc. (H) in Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata.

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R ES T

Major research contributions are in the area of inositols and phosphoinositides in relation to the biochemistry & molecular analysis, genetics, and biotechnological application of the pathways for attaining a stress-tolerant phenotype. Briefly these involve:

• Molecular identification of the key pathway enzyme inositol synthase as an evolutionarily conserved ancient protein & gene across biological kingdom. Further identification of an evolutionarily conserved pentapeptide as the “core component” at it’s active site domain.
• Identification of salt-tolerant proteins and their genes (PcIno1 & PcIMT1) from wild halophytic rice Oryza coarctata, their indepth molecular studies and generation of homozygous crop plants for attainment of salt-tolerant trait. Studies on the phosphoinositide specific Phospholipase C as a target for stress tolerance.
• Newer extension pathways of the inositol metabolism in wild rice plants and studies of their regulation under adverse environment. Indepth studies on the promoters and cis elements of the different pathway genes as common key for coordinated regulation of inositol pathways under environmental stress.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• He held the positions of a Lecturer, Reader, Professor and Chairman at the Department of Botany, School of Life Sciences, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan (1977-91).
• Professor of Botany, Bose Institute, Kolkata (1991-1995) and as Senior Professor & Head, Plant Molecular and Cellular Genetics/Division of Plant Biology Bose Institute between 1995 -2011.
• He also worked at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA (1979,1980,1982); University of Ohio, USA (sabbatical, 1986-88); University of Arizona, USA (1994,1996,1998,1999); and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA (2000,2002,2005).
• He was a Raja Ramanna Fellow (2011-2016) and an INSA Senior Scientist (2016-2022).

A W A R D S   &  H O N O U R S

• Elected Fellow, Indian National Science Academy (FNA), Indian Academy of Science (FASc), National Academy of Sciences (FNASc), National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS), West Bengal Academy of Science & Technology (FASc&T)
• Elected Member, Guha Research Conference 2001)
• SB Saksena Award from the Indian National Science Academy (2008)
• Sadakharaswamy Endowment Lecture Award, SBC(I) (1994/1995)
• Parija Memorial Award, Utkal University (2001)
• S N Pattnyak Memorial Oration Award, Bhubaneswar University (2017)
• J C Sengupta Endowment Award, West Bengal Academy of Science & Technology, 2018.
• Foundation Day Award, Bose Institute (1998).
• Career Development Award, UGC (1980-83).
• Fogarty International Center Visiting Fellowship/Associateship, NIH, USA (1973 – 1976)
• Sir Rashbehari Ghosh Travelling Fellowship, Calcutta University (1982).
• Rockefeller Biotechnology Career Fellowship (1998-2003)

Dr. Rajat Pal

Assistant Director - Microbiology and Biotechnology

Post-Doc Research, Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta.

Email: rajat.p@snuniv.ac.in

 E D U C A T I O N 

Post-Doc Research, Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta.

Ph.D. in Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta.

GATE – 2009 in Life Science

M. Sc. In Microbiology, University of Calcutta

M.Sc. in Bioinformatics, Sikkim Manipal University

Post Graduate Diploma in Bioinformatics, DOEACC, Govt. of India. JU Campus

B.Sc. (H) in Microbiology, Calcutta University

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

The primary focus of Prof. Pal’s research is studying bioremediation of heavy metal toxicity by microorganisms, and elucidating the molecular mechanisms of heavy metal toxicity (e.g. Antimony) resistance in several plant bodies. Specifically, he studies the genetic makeup and molecular pathways involved in heavy metal resistant bacteria by identifying the responsible genes and the genetic evolution of these genes. Alongside, he is investigating the role of selection pressure on the evolution of the heavy metal resistance in bacteria. The goal of this research is to discover the heavy metal toxicity resistant bacteria mediated protective mechanisms of plants and the evolution of these resistant bacteria.

The Pal lab is also analyzing the formulation and application of novel drug-nanoparticle conjugates, and the efficacy of nanocomposites using animal models. He is looking to identify the mechanisms by which nanocomposites impart protective effects against bacterial and cancer cell growth.

Additionally, Prof. Pal uses bioinformatics tools and computational models to solve molecular structures of nanoparticles and nanocomposite material. Through bioinformatics, he aims to understand the genetic alterations in heavy metal resistant bacteria.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Dr. Pal has 14 years of teaching, 12 years of research experience and three years of industry experience.
• He had been appointed as Examiner for both UG and PG level examinations at many colleges and University.
• He is member of Indian Science Congress, Indian Mycological Society, Microbiologist society, India.
• He has eighteen international journal publications and more than thirty national and international conference publications.
• Recipient of Gold Medal from Department of Botany, Calcutta University.
• Recipient of seven national level awards

R E S E A R C H   G R O U P

• Two Ph.D. students
• Three research trainees
• Two M.Sc. Project trainees
• 12 PG research students
• 24 UG research students

P U B L I C A T I O N S

• 13 Research
• 5 Review Articles
• 2 Book chapters
• 2 Books

T e a c h i n g   A r e a

• Biochemistry
• Microbiology
• Molecular Biology
• Bioinformatics
• Nanotechnology

Dr. Fatema Calcuttawala

HOD - Microbiology

Ph.D in Molecular Microbiology, NICED, Kolkata, Post Doctoral Research, Bose Institute

Email: fatema.c@snuniv.ac.in

E D U C A T I O N

Post Doctoral Research, Bose Institute

Ph.D in Molecular Microbiology, NICED, Kolkata

GATE – 2010 in Life Science

ICMR-JRF 2010

CSIR-UGC NET 2010 (SPM Fellow)

M.Sc. in Biochemistry Calcutta University (Gold-medalist)

B.Sc. in Microbiology Calcutta University

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

Soil-dwelling actinomycetes are the most relevant class of microorganisms to expand one’s knowledge on antimicrobial substance production. Most clinically important antibiotics originate from them. However, multidrug resistance is threatening the future continual use of antibiotics. Hence there is a need to develop alternative environmentally friendly processes of nanoparticle synthesis which involves utilization of biological systems as nanofactories thereby promising an environmentally clean, nontoxic and economical process. Dr. Calcuttawala’s research interest is directed at sampling the soil actinomycetes of East Kolkata Wetlands (EKWs) and screening them for antimicrobial substances and nanoparticle production against a wide panel of phytopathogens. The EKWs have been designated as "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention in 2002. Microbial richness of this region is its hidden asset. Soil samples collected from the wetlands are expected to show the presence of various new strains of Actinomycetes which are not only ecologically important but also have commercial value. Furthermore, the nanoparticles synthesized may exhibit a synergistic effect with the antimicrobial substances produced by them and can serve as effective tools in overcoming the roadblock of controlling those phytopathogens which are difficult to eradicate using the conventional agricultural methods.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Prof. Calcuttawala has 2 years of teaching and 8 Years of research experience.
• She has 4 international journal and several conference publications.

R E S E A R C H G R O U P

• Three UG research students
• One Project Trainee

T E A C H I N G   A R E A

• Molecular Biology
• Virology
• Microbial genetics
• Recombinant DNA Technology
• Medical Microbiology and Immunology

R E S E A R C H   A R E A

• Bacteriology
• Molecular and Cell Biology
• Virology

Dr. Atreyi Ghosh

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

Post-Doc Research from Yenepoya University, India

Email: atreyi.g@snuniv.ac.in

E D U C A T I O N

Post-Doc Research from Yenepoya University, India

Post-Doc Research from Northeast Hill University, India

Ph.D in Environmental Biotechnology, IIT Guwahati

GATE – 2006 in Life Science

M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Kalyani University

B.Sc. in Botany Calcutta University

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

Dr. Atreyi Ghosh is interested in exploring the phenomenon of bioremediation of inorganic pollutants through microbial consortia present in contaminated habitats. She is engaged to understand the mechanism of uptake and transformation of pollutants especially heavy metals by indigenous population of cyanobacteria and anaerobic bacteria. Her research interests also encompass to design cost-effective bioreactor system to treat real wastewater in vivo and in vitro condition. She is keen to analyze the pathways of transformation of the inorganic pollutants to their non-toxic form through those microorganism(s). She has already isolated and reported novel bacterial strains capable of treating multiple inorganic and organic pollutants from real industrial wastewater in batch and continuous systems. In SNU her research team is engaged with microbial synthesis of metal nanoparticle and analysing their antifungal effect. Also the team is involved in finding the potential of isolated cyanobacterial strain for heavy metal removal. Her future research plan includes the formulation of phyto-bioremediation system to contaminated wastewater and also the process of bioleaching of rare earth materials using isolated bacterial strains.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Dr. Ghosh has 10 years of teaching and 10 Years of Research experience.
• She has 9 international journal and several conference publications.

R E S E A R C H G R O U P

• Two PhD Fellow
• Ten UG research students
• Seven PG research students

P U B L I C A T I O N S

• 7 Research Papers
• 1 Review Article
• 8 Conferences

T E A C H I N G   A R E A

• Microbial diversity
• Microbial Metabolism
• Industrial Microbiology
• Fermentation Technology

Dr. Anindita Banerjee

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

Ph.D. in Microbial Technology from Jadavpur University. Post-Doctoral Research from NTNU Trondheim, Norway.

Email: anindita.ba@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Ph.D: Jadavpur University

• M.SC: University of Calcutta

• B.SC: Lady Brabourne College University of Calcutta

Post Doctoral Experience

 a. Dr D.S. Kothari Post Doctoral Fellow School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru  University, New Delhi

b.  Post Doctoral Researcher Department of Chemical Engineering ,NTNU Trondheim Norway-Department of Chemical Engineering,Jadavpur University, Kolkata

c. CSIR-RA: Department of Polymer Science and Technology University of Calcutta

Research Interests

Integrated bioprocess technology for biofuel production, wastewater treatment using immobilized microbial biomass, and bioprospecting of novel enzymes.

Current research themes:

1. Bio-aviation fuel production through microbial fermentation

1. Wastewater treatment and resource recovery

1. Enzyme discovery and molecular characterization

Teaching Areas

• Environmental Microbiology

• Biostatistics

• Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology

• Fermentation and Bioprocess Technology

Publications

10 Research Articles; 12 Conference Publications.

Academic Service

3 year teaching and 12 years research experience; mentored B.Tech., M.Tech., M.Sc., and Ph.D. students; recipient of four National-level awards.

Dr. Shayani Dasgupta

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

Email: shayani.d@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

• Postdoctoral Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

• M.Sc. in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

• B.Sc. (Hons.) in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

Research Interests

Dr. Dasgupta’s research lies at the intersection of cancer biology, tumor immunology, vascular biology, and cancer metabolism. She investigates how cancer cells manipulate immune and endothelial compartments to promote tumor progression and therapy resistance.

Current research themes:

1. Endothelial cell regulation of immune infiltration, activation, and antigen presentation

1. Targeting endothelial cells and pericytes for vascular normalization and improved therapy

1. The role of ferroptosis in shaping tumor immunosuppression and resistance

Teaching Areas

• Cancer Biology

• Immunology

• Cell Biology and Biochemistry

Publications

18 research articles in reputed international journals on cancer biology, tumor vasculature, and immuno-oncology.

Academic Service

Peer reviewer for academic journals; member of national and international scientific organizations.

Dr. Sayanta Bera

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

Ph.D. in Virus Evolution, CBGP-UPM, Madrid, Spain (Excellent cum laude)

Email: Sayanta.b@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Ph.D. in Virus Evolution, CBGP-UPM, Madrid, Spain (Excellent cum laude)
• M.Sc. in Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
• B.Sc. in Microbiology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
• Postdoctoral Research, Cornell University & University of California, Davis, USA
• Postdoctoral Research, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
• Research Scientist, USDA APHIS-PPQ-PGQP, Beltsville, Maryland, USA

Research Interests

Dr. Bera’s research explores the evolutionary dynamics of plant viruses and their interactions with host stress signaling pathways. His work integrates molecular biology, synthetic biology, chemical biology, and systems biology to engineer plant resilience to climate change and diseases.

Current research themes:

• Viral manipulation of plant stress signaling and development
• Evolutionary adaptability of plant viruses in agroecosystems
• Systems biology approaches to decode virus–host interactions and regulatory networks

Teaching Areas

Virology and Plant Pathology; Viral Ecology and Evolution; Fundamentals of Microbiology

Awards & Honours

• Erasmus Mundus Doctoral Fellowship, European Union
• Fellowship by Department of Biotechnology, India
• Second Best Poster Award, 13th International Plant Virus Epidemiology Symposium
• Qualified GATE and CSIR-NET with top percentile

Publications (Citations: 348 | h-index: 12)

• 19 peer-reviewed research articles in journals such as Plos Biology, Annual Review of Virology, Nucleic Acids Research, Virus Evolution, and Molecular Plant Pathology.

Academic Service

Editorial Roles: Guest Editor for special issues in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution and Agriculture, focusing on plant virus evolution and agroecosystem resilience. Responsibilities included thematic curation, peer-review coordination, and editorial decision-making.

Peer-Review Contributions: Reviewed manuscripts for over 15 international journals across plant pathology, entomology, and ecological genomics—including The Plant Journal, Functional Ecology, and Environmental and Experimental Botany.

Conference Leadership: Organized a member symposium titled “Pathogen-mediated Ecological Interactions: From Microbes to Complex Ecosystems” at the Entomological Society of America Conference (Florida, 2020, virtual format).

RITUPARNA DAS

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

M.sc in Medical Microbiology from Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim

Email: rituparna.d@snuniv.ac.in

Academic background

M.sc in Medical Microbiology from Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim

B.sc. in Microbiology from Bangalore University,  Bangalore, Karnataka

Teaching areas

Medical Microbiology

Medical biochemistry

Project done on

Nosocomial infection by Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria.

Academic  services

4 years Teaching experience in  electro homeopathy college, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal (subject - Microbiology, pathology)

Dr. Fatema Calcuttawala

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

Ph.D in Molecular Microbiology, NICED, Kolkata, Post Doctoral Research, Bose Institute

Email: fatema.c@snuniv.ac.in

E D U C A T I O N

Post Doctoral Research, Bose Institute

Ph.D in Molecular Microbiology, NICED, Kolkata

GATE – 2010 in Life Science

ICMR-JRF 2010

CSIR-UGC NET 2010 (SPM Fellow)

M.Sc. in Biochemistry Calcutta University (Gold-medalist)

B.Sc. in Microbiology Calcutta University

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

Soil-dwelling actinomycetes are the most relevant class of microorganisms to expand one’s knowledge on antimicrobial substance production. Most clinically important antibiotics originate from them. However, multidrug resistance is threatening the future continual use of antibiotics. Hence there is a need to develop alternative environmentally friendly processes of nanoparticle synthesis which involves utilization of biological systems as nanofactories thereby promising an environmentally clean, nontoxic and economical process. Dr. Calcuttawala’s research interest is directed at sampling the soil actinomycetes of East Kolkata Wetlands (EKWs) and screening them for antimicrobial substances and nanoparticle production against a wide panel of phytopathogens. The EKWs have been designated as "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar Convention in 2002. Microbial richness of this region is its hidden asset. Soil samples collected from the wetlands are expected to show the presence of various new strains of Actinomycetes which are not only ecologically important but also have commercial value. Furthermore, the nanoparticles synthesized may exhibit a synergistic effect with the antimicrobial substances produced by them and can serve as effective tools in overcoming the roadblock of controlling those phytopathogens which are difficult to eradicate using the conventional agricultural methods.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Prof. Calcuttawala has 2 years of teaching and 8 Years of research experience.
• She has 4 international journal and several conference publications.

R E S E A R C H G R O U P

• Three UG research students
• One Project Trainee

T E A C H I N G   A R E A

• Molecular Biology
• Virology
• Microbial genetics
• Recombinant DNA Technology
• Medical Microbiology and Immunology

R E S E A R C H   A R E A

• Bacteriology
• Molecular and Cell Biology
• Virology

Dr. Atreyi Ghosh

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

Post-Doc Research from Yenepoya University, India

Email: atreyi.g@snuniv.ac.in

E D U C A T I O N

Post-Doc Research from Yenepoya University, India

Post-Doc Research from Northeast Hill University, India

Ph.D in Environmental Biotechnology, IIT Guwahati

GATE – 2006 in Life Science

M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Kalyani University

B.Sc. in Botany Calcutta University

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

Dr. Atreyi Ghosh is interested in exploring the phenomenon of bioremediation of inorganic pollutants through microbial consortia present in contaminated habitats. She is engaged to understand the mechanism of uptake and transformation of pollutants especially heavy metals by indigenous population of cyanobacteria and anaerobic bacteria. Her research interests also encompass to design cost-effective bioreactor system to treat real wastewater in vivo and in vitro condition. She is keen to analyze the pathways of transformation of the inorganic pollutants to their non-toxic form through those microorganism(s). She has already isolated and reported novel bacterial strains capable of treating multiple inorganic and organic pollutants from real industrial wastewater in batch and continuous systems. In SNU her research team is engaged with microbial synthesis of metal nanoparticle and analysing their antifungal effect. Also the team is involved in finding the potential of isolated cyanobacterial strain for heavy metal removal. Her future research plan includes the formulation of phyto-bioremediation system to contaminated wastewater and also the process of bioleaching of rare earth materials using isolated bacterial strains.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Dr. Ghosh has 10 years of teaching and 10 Years of Research experience.
• She has 9 international journal and several conference publications.

R E S E A R C H G R O U P

• Two PhD Fellow
• Ten UG research students
• Seven PG research students

P U B L I C A T I O N S

• 7 Research Papers
• 1 Review Article
• 8 Conferences

T E A C H I N G   A R E A

• Microbial diversity
• Microbial Metabolism
• Industrial Microbiology
• Fermentation Technology

Dr. Anindita Banerjee

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

Ph.D. in Microbial Technology from Jadavpur University. Post-Doctoral Research from NTNU Trondheim, Norway.

Email: anindita.ba@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Ph.D: Jadavpur University

• M.SC: University of Calcutta

• B.SC: Lady Brabourne College University of Calcutta

Post Doctoral Experience

 a. Dr D.S. Kothari Post Doctoral Fellow School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru  University, New Delhi

b.  Post Doctoral Researcher Department of Chemical Engineering ,NTNU Trondheim Norway-Department of Chemical Engineering,Jadavpur University, Kolkata

c. CSIR-RA: Department of Polymer Science and Technology University of Calcutta

Research Interests

Integrated bioprocess technology for biofuel production, wastewater treatment using immobilized microbial biomass, and bioprospecting of novel enzymes.

Current research themes:

1. Bio-aviation fuel production through microbial fermentation

1. Wastewater treatment and resource recovery

1. Enzyme discovery and molecular characterization

Teaching Areas

• Environmental Microbiology

• Biostatistics

• Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology

• Fermentation and Bioprocess Technology

Publications

10 Research Articles; 12 Conference Publications.

Academic Service

3 year teaching and 12 years research experience; mentored B.Tech., M.Tech., M.Sc., and Ph.D. students; recipient of four National-level awards.

Dr. Shayani Dasgupta

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

Email: shayani.d@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

• Postdoctoral Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

• M.Sc. in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

• B.Sc. (Hons.) in Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, India

Research Interests

Dr. Dasgupta’s research lies at the intersection of cancer biology, tumor immunology, vascular biology, and cancer metabolism. She investigates how cancer cells manipulate immune and endothelial compartments to promote tumor progression and therapy resistance.

Current research themes:

1. Endothelial cell regulation of immune infiltration, activation, and antigen presentation

1. Targeting endothelial cells and pericytes for vascular normalization and improved therapy

1. The role of ferroptosis in shaping tumor immunosuppression and resistance

Teaching Areas

• Cancer Biology

• Immunology

• Cell Biology and Biochemistry

Publications

18 research articles in reputed international journals on cancer biology, tumor vasculature, and immuno-oncology.

Academic Service

Peer reviewer for academic journals; member of national and international scientific organizations.

Dr. Sayanta Bera

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

Ph.D. in Virus Evolution, CBGP-UPM, Madrid, Spain (Excellent cum laude)

Email: sayanta.b@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Ph.D. in Virus Evolution, CBGP-UPM, Madrid, Spain (Excellent cum laude)
• M.Sc. in Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
• B.Sc. in Microbiology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
• Postdoctoral Research, Cornell University & University of California, Davis, USA
• Postdoctoral Research, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
• Research Scientist, USDA APHIS-PPQ-PGQP, Beltsville, Maryland, USA

Research Interests

Dr. Bera’s research explores the evolutionary dynamics of plant viruses and their interactions with host stress signaling pathways. His work integrates molecular biology, synthetic biology, chemical biology, and systems biology to engineer plant resilience to climate change and diseases.

Current research themes:

• Viral manipulation of plant stress signaling and development
• Evolutionary adaptability of plant viruses in agroecosystems
• Systems biology approaches to decode virus–host interactions and regulatory networks

Teaching Areas

Virology and Plant Pathology; Viral Ecology and Evolution; Fundamentals of Microbiology

Awards & Honours

• Erasmus Mundus Doctoral Fellowship, European Union
• Fellowship by Department of Biotechnology, India
• Second Best Poster Award, 13th International Plant Virus Epidemiology Symposium
• Qualified GATE and CSIR-NET with top percentile

Publications (Citations: 348 | h-index: 12)

• 19 peer-reviewed research articles in journals such as Plos Biology, Annual Review of Virology, Nucleic Acids Research, Virus Evolution, and Molecular Plant Pathology.

Academic Service

Editorial Roles: Guest Editor for special issues in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution and Agriculture, focusing on plant virus evolution and agroecosystem resilience. Responsibilities included thematic curation, peer-review coordination, and editorial decision-making.

Peer-Review Contributions: Reviewed manuscripts for over 15 international journals across plant pathology, entomology, and ecological genomics—including The Plant Journal, Functional Ecology, and Environmental and Experimental Botany.

Conference Leadership: Organized a member symposium titled “Pathogen-mediated Ecological Interactions: From Microbes to Complex Ecosystems” at the Entomological Society of America Conference (Florida, 2020, virtual format).

RITUPARNA DAS

Assistant Professor - Microbiology

M.sc in Medical Microbiology from Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim

Email: rituparna.d@snuniv.ac.in

Academic background

M.sc. in Medical Microbiology from Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim

B.sc. in Microbiology from Bangalore University,  Bangalore, Karnataka

Teaching areas

Medical Microbiology

Medical biochemistry

Project done on

Nosocomial infection by Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria.

Academic  services

4 years Teaching experience in  electro homeopathy college, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal (subject - Microbiology, pathology)

Eyoki Bhattacharya

Laboratory Assistant - Microbiology

Email:

Neha Chanda

Laboratory Assistant - Microbiology

Email:

Ms. Arthita Koley

Laboratory Assistant - Microbiology

Email:

Dr. Sudipta Saha

Associate Professor- Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Life Science – CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Email: sudipta.s@snuniv.ac.in

Ex-Assistant Professor (III), Amity Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Amity University, Noida.

Academic Background

• Pool Scientist (CSIR), – CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India

• Post Doctorate – Chang Gung University, Taiwan

• Post Doctorate – Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan

• Ph.D. in Life Science – CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India

• M.Sc. in Physiology – Presidency College, University of Calcutta, India

• B.Sc. in Physiology (Hons.) – City College, University of Calcutta, India

Research Interests

Cell and molecular biology, reproductive biology, protein biochemistry, bio-instrumentation, and translational research.

Current research themes:

• Therapeutic applications of sperm motility stimulating/inhibiting proteins

• Cytokinesis regulatory proteins in gamete development

• Antimicrobial proteins from reproductive fluids

• Instrumentation for advanced motility analysis

Teaching Areas

•  Cell Biology & Physiology

•  Reproductive/Developmental Biology

•  Physiology

•  Bioinstrumentation

Awards & Honours

•  Awarded Best Poster Award, Bangalore India Bio, 2011.

• Awarded Honorable Mention Award in India Innovation Pioneers Challenge Business Plan Competition, Indo-US Science & Technology Forum, New Delhi, 2009.

•  Finalist in BioAsia Innovation Award, BioAsia, Hyderabad, 2009.

• Finalist in Ranbaxy Young Scientist Award, Ranbaxy Research Laboratories, Gurgaon, 2008.

• Awarded Biotech Idea to Innovation Award, British Council, New Delhi, 2007.

• Awarded Best Poster Award, International Congress On Gamete Biology: Emerging Frontiers In Fertility And Contraceptive Development, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, 2006.

Research Grants

• DST-Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)-Start-up Research Grant (2019): Isolation and characterization of the receptor of sperm motility stimulating protein from sperm membrane and finding its role and mechanism in fertility management. (SERB File Number: SRG/2019/000501, Fund: Rs. 2975369.00)

• WBDSTBT-RISE Internship Grant (2025): Investigating the Morphological and Biochemical Impact of a Naturally Derived Agent on Cancer Cell. Rs. 75000.00

Publications

18+ research articles in leading journals (Fertility & Sterility, Cytometry Part A, Cell Cycle, etc.); 2 patents, several book chapters and e-books.

 Total citation: 220+, H-Index: 9

Academic Service

Recipient of SERB Start-up Research Grant; multiple national and international awards.

External Examiner, Question Paper setter for different Universities

Manuscript reviewer for several journals

Dr. S. T. Choudhury

Assistant Professor- Biotechnology

Ph.D in Biochemistry, Calcutta University

Email: somsubhra.tc@snuniv.ac.in

E D U C A T I O N

Ph.D in Biochemistry, Calcutta University

GATE – 2010 in Life Science

M.Sc. in Microbiology Calcutta University

B.Sc. in Microbiology Calcutta University

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

Prof. Thakur Choudhury is involved in research on two major areas. Drug delivery system deals with the delivery of a therapeutic agent to the specific site in our body. The therapeutic agents or drugs have long been used to improve our health, to fight against the diseases and providing us an extended life. But the majority of the therapeutic agents face some major drawbacks like toxicity, resistance and poor bioavailability. In this respect, the drug delivery technology has opened a new avenue to improve the therapeutic efficacy of the drug.

Prof. Thakur Choudhury’s research interest is to explore the drug delivery field specifically liposomal and nanoparticulated drug delivery. Primarily he wants to develop new formulations of conventional drugs to improve their therapeutic efficacy. In future, the prime objective will be to develop target specific delivery of cytotoxic drugs for critical diseases like cancer.

Diagnosis of a disease is very important for proper and timely medication. In recent years a major thrust in the field of research is to develop an easy as well as efficient diagnostic tool for detection of disease. His objective is to develop easy, field adaptable diagnostic kits with higher sensitivity and specificity for the early detection of different infectious diseases as well as for different neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Prof. Thakur Choudhury has 2 years of teaching and 8 Years of Research experience.
• He has 10 international journal and several conference publications.

R E S E A R C H G R O U P

• One Ph.D. student
• Three UG research students

T E A C H I N G   A R E A

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Drug Designing and Drug Delivery

R E S E A R C H   A R E A

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Cancer Biology
• Molecular Diagnostic

Dr. Asis K. Jana

Assistant Professor- Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. Post-Doctoral Research from University of Oklahoma, United States.

Email:

R E S E A R C H   I N T E R E S T

Dr. Jana is involved in research to understand the structure, dynamics, and thermodynamics of complex biomolecular systems at atomistic resolution using theory and computational tools.  One of the major focusses is to understand the self-assembly pathways of the intrinsically disordered proteins, which is linked to a variety of "protein aggregation disorders" such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, and the modulation of their aggregation pathways with suitable nanomaterials and ligand binding using computer simulation techniques.

Since last year, Dr. Jana is also investigating SARS-COV-2 induced amyloid formation as a way to explain some of the long-term effects troubling COVID-19 survivors. For instance, symptoms of “Long COVID” and the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in adults (MIS-A) resemble Serum Amyloid A (SAA) amyloidosis, and SAA overproduction is a symptom of COVID-19. Similarly, it has been shown that SARS-COV-2 infection can trigger Parkinson’s disease which is connected with alpha-Synuclein amyloid formation. We suspect similar relationships with amyloid-beta peptide, implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.

P R O F E S S I O N A L   E X P E R I E N C E

• Dr. Jana has 12 years of research experience.
• He has 15 international journal research publications and two international conference publications.
• He has mentored in several B. Tech, M. Tech, M.Sc. and Ph.D. students in national and international universities.
• Recipient of two national level fellowships (UGC-NET and GATE).

R E S E A R C H   G R O U P

• 2 PG research students
• 5 UG research students

T E A C H I N G  A R E A

• Mathematics and Biostatistics
• Computational Biology
• Chemistry

P U B L I C A T I O N S

• 15 Research Articles
• 1 Review Article

Dr. Surjit Singh

Assistant Professor- Biotechnology

Ph.D. Biotechnology, TIGP-MBAS, Academia Sinica & NCHU, Taiwan. Postdoctoral research, ABRC, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.

Email: surjit.s@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

Postdoctoral Research – Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center (ABRC), Academia Sinica, Taiwan

Ph.D. in Biotechnology – Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP-MBAS), Academia Sinica & National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan

M.Sc. in Applied Microbiology, VIT University, India

B.Sc. in Microbiology (Hons.), MAKAUT, India

Research Interests

Dr. Singh’s research integrates plant molecular biology, microbial biotechnology, and environmental geochemistry.

Current research themes:

1. Nutrient stress and epigenetic regulation of flowering in model and crop plants

1. Microbial detoxification and bioremediation for environmental sustainability

Teaching Areas

• Molecular Biology

• Genetic Engineering

• Plant Biotechnology

• Microbiology

Publications

11 Research Articles; 4 Review Articles; 2 Book Chapters; 20+ Conference Presentations.

Academic Service

Internal Biosafety Committee Member; Faculty Coordinator; Exam Coordinator, conference organizer; journal reviewer and topic editor.

Dr. Souri Roy

Assistant Professor- Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Molecular genetics, Plant genetic engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur

Email: souri.r@snuniv.ac.in

International:

1. Snehasish Sarkar, Souri Roy & Sudip Kumar Ghosh (2021) Development of marker-free transgenic pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) expressing a pod borer insecticidal protein.  Scientific Reports, Nature, 11, 10543. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90050-8

2. Snehasish Sarkar, Souri Roy, Sudip Kumar Ghosh and Asitava Basu (2019) Application of lateral branching to overcome the recalcitrance of in vitro regeneration of Agrobacterium-infected Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.). Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, Springer Nature, 137, pages 23–32. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11240-018-01547-6

3. Jagannath Bhattacharyya, Anirban Chakraborty, Souri Roy, Soumitra Kumar Sen (2015) Genetic transformation of cultivated jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) by particle bombardment using apical meristem tissue and development of stable transgenic plant. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, 121, pages 311–324. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11240-014-0702-2  

4. Souri Roy, Snehasish Sarkar, Sudip Kumar Ghosh Development of a rapid and highly efficient in-vitro somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration of P.  glaucum (L) from shoot apical meristem (Under review)

National

5. Rajib Roychowdhury, Souri Roy, and Jagatpati Tah (2013) Estimation of heritable components of variation and character selection in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) for mutation breeding programme. Continental J. Biological Sciences 4 (2): 31-36. https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20123299341

Conferrence Proceding

1. 18th European Congress On Biotechnology 1-4 July 2018, Geneva Switzerland

Souri Roy, Snehasish Sarkar and Sudip Kumar Ghosh (2018) Somatic embryogenesis of sweet pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), a rich source of cellulosic biomass, New Biotechnology, Volume 1113, Issue 1-3, Pages 1871-6784, Elsevier, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbt.2018.05.985.

2. 43^rd FEBS Congress 7-12 July 2018, Prague, Czech Republic

 Snehasish Sarkar, Souri Roy, Sudip K.Ghosh (2018) Development of marker-free pod borer resistant Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan). FEBS Open Bio, 8: P.07-022. https://doi:10.1002/2211-5463.12453

DR. SIDDHARTHA DUTTA

Assistant Professor- Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

Email: siddhartha.d@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Pool Scientist (CSIR), National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India

• Research Associate, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, USA

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada

• Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

• M.Sc. in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, India

• B.Sc. in Botany, Ravenshaw University, India

Research Interests

Dr. Dutta’s research focuses on chloroplast biogenesis, protein import, and light signaling in plants, using biochemical and transgenic approaches to enhance productivity. His work also explores chloroplasts as industrial platforms and strategies to improve plant growth, stress resilience, and crop yields.

Current research themes:

1. Mechanisms of chloroplast protein import and regulation

1. Light signaling pathways in early plant development

Teaching Areas

• Plant Biotechnology

• Plant Physiology

• Genetics

• Recombinant DNA Technology

Publications

20+ research articles in journals including Plant Physiology, The Plant Journal, Journal of Experimental Botany, and Plant Molecular Biology; book chapters and reviews on chloroplast engineering, stress responses, and photomorphogenesis.

Academic Service

• Recipient of Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, Extramural Grant for a 3-year project on the development of a higher-yielding tomato plant. 

• Active collaborator in national and international plant science research networks; regular peer reviewer for reputed journals.

DR. SANKHA SUBHRA DAS

Assistant Professor- Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Genetics from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. Post-Doctoral Research from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USA.

Email: sankhsubhra.d@snuniv.ac.in

EDUCATION

Post-Doctoral Research in Human Genetics, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USA

Ph.D. in Genetics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

M.Sc. in Genetics, University of Calcutta

B.Sc. (H) in Zoology, Scottish Church College, University of Calcutta

FELLOWSHIP AND AWARDS

Newton Bhabha PhD placement Fellowship (2018)

CSIR Junior Research Fellowship (JRF-NET) (2015)

Indian Academy of Science Summer Research Fellowship (2013)

RESEARCH INTEREST

Dr. Das’s research focuses on understanding how genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to complex traits and diseases such as cardiometabolic diseases. He utilizes multi-omics approaches to investigate gene regulatory mechanisms at single cell resolution.

PUBLICATIONS (SELECTED)

Das SS, Kar A, Rajkumar S, Lee SHT, Alvarez M, Pietiläinen KH, Pajukanta P. Cross-tissue single nucleus RNA sequencing discovers tissue-resident adipocytes involved in propanoate metabolism in the human heart. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2023;43(10):1788-1804.

Garske K, Kar A, Comenho C, Baillu B, Pan D, Bhagat Y, Rosenberg G, Koka A, Das SS, Miao Z, Sinsheimer J, Kaprio J, Pietiläinen K, and Pajukanta P. Increased body mass index is linked to systemic inflammation through altered chromatin co-accessibility in human preadipocytes. Nature Communications. 2023;14(1):4214.

Kar A, Alvarez M, Garske KM, Huang H, Lee SHT, Deal M, Das SS, Koka A, Jamal Z, Mohlke KL, Laakso M, Heinonen S, Pietiläinen KH, Pajukanta P. Age-dependent genes in adipose stem and precursor cells affect regulation of fat cell differentiation and link aging to obesity via cellular and genetic interactions. Genome Medicine. 2024;16(1):19.

Darci-Maher N, Alvarez M, Arasu UT, Selvarajan I, Lee SHT, Pan DJ, Miao Z, Das SS, Kaminska D, Örd T, Benhammou JN, Wabitsch M, Pisegna JR, Männistö V, Pietiläinen KH, Laakso M, Sinsheimer JS, Kaikkonen MU, Pihlajamäki J, Pajukanta P. Cross-tissue omics analysis discovers ten adipose genes encoding secreted proteins in obesity-related non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. EBioMedicine. 2023;92:104620.

Das SS, Chakravorty N. Identification of deleterious SNPs and their effects on BCL11A, the master regulator of fetal hemoglobin expression. Genomics. 2020 Jan;112(1):397-403.

Das SS, Mitra A, Chakravorty N. Diseases and their clinical heterogeneity - Are we ignoring the SNiPers and micRomaNAgers? An illustration using Beta-thalassemia clinical spectrum and fetal hemoglobin levels. Genomics. 2019 Jan;111(1):67-75.

TEACHING AREA

• Human Genetics
• Genetic Engineering
• Bioinformatics

Dr. Mahua Ghara

Assistant Professor- Biotechnology

Ph.D. in Ecology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Email: mahua.g@snuniv.ac.in

Academic Background

• Ph.D. in Ecology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

• Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Israel

• Postdoctoral Fellow, IISER Mohali, Punjab, India

• M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Botany, Hindu College, University of Delhi, India

Research Interests

Dr. Ghara’s work integrates ecology, evolution, and plant–animal interactions, with expertise in pollination, herbivory, florivory, multi-trophic interactions, and climate change impacts. She has researched floral traits, sensory ecology, and agro-ecology in both natural and agricultural systems.

Current research themes:

1. Pollinator-mediated selection and plant reproductive strategies

1. Sustainability and biodiversity in agro-ecosystems

Teaching Areas

• Ecology and Evolution

• Plant–Animal Interactions

• Agro-ecology and Conservation Biology

Publications

Multiple research articles, book chapters, and invited contributions in journals such as American Journal of Botany and Oecologia; reports for national climate change and pollinator vulnerability assessments.

Academic Service

Reviewer for Acta Oecologica, Current Science, Tropical Ecology; extensive science communication through nature walks, public talks, and educational programs.

Aniket Mukherjee

Assistant Professor- Biotechnology

GATE (XL) Qualified, M.E. in Bioprocess Engineering, Jadavpur University, India

Email: aniket.m@snuniv.ac.in

Research Interests
Mr. Mukherjee’s research focuses on sustainable bioprocess development and renewable bioenergy. His work emphasizes the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass for advanced biofuels, including aviation jet fuel, along with nanobiotechnology and enzyme-assisted process intensification. His broader interests include enzyme technology, food biotechnology, and industrial biotechnology.

Current Research Themes

1. Sustainable production of biofuels

2. Microbial metabolic engineering for enhanced product yields

3. Enzyme-immobilized nanomaterial-assisted bioprocessing

4. Kinetics of multi-enzyme systems in bioprocessing

5. Process optimization for industrial-scale fermentation

6. Momentum transfer and mixing dynamics in bioreactors
    

Teaching Areas

• Biochemistry

• Biophysical Chemistry and Instrumentation

• Bioprocess Technology

• Transport Operations

• Fermentation Technology

• Food Biotechnology

• Enzyme Technology