Department of Microbiology

LIST OF FACULTY MEMBERS ELIGIBLE FOR GUIDING PH.D STUDENTS WITH THEIR SPECIALIZATIONS AND AREAS OF RESEARCH

1.   DR. SANJAY CHHIBBER, Professor

     Specialization:  Applied Microbiology

Areas of Research:   

·            Bacteriophages: Therapeutic potential in treating burn wound and respiratory tract infections.

·            Depolymerase enzyme and phage lysins: Their antibiofilm potential

·            Novel delivery systems : Liposomes as delivery vehicles at burn wound site.

·            Metagenomic studies: On microorganisms isolated form cold habitats

2.   DR. PRINCE SHARMA, Professor

     Specialization:  Molecular Microbiology

Areas of Research:

·            Metagenomics: for thermostable, novel industrially relevant enzymes like restriction endonucleases, laccases, xylanases and lipases applicable in Molecular Biology and paper industry

·            Nanobiotechnology: Development of biosensors for the detection of opiate drugs and bacterial pathogens.

·            Biodiversity of novel laccases in natural and artificial eco-systems

·            Reverse Vaccinology: In silico analysis of Acinetobacter baumannii genome and proteome to identify potential vaccine candidate proteins and in vivo validation of their immunoprotection efficacy.

3.   DR. (MRS) VIJAY PRABHA, Professor

     Specilaization:  Medical Microbiology

 Areas of Research:  

·            Bacterial infections: Role in infertility.

·            Development of receptors to be an effective  therapeutic intervention for infertility.

·            Profertility effect of probiotics.

·            Microbial metabolites as vaginal contraceptives.

·            Molecular mimicry between bacteria and spermatozoa.

·            Exploitation of bacteria-spermatozoa interactions at receptor ligand level to be developed as immunocontraceptives.

4.   DR. (MRS) PRAVEEN RISHI, Professor

     Specialization: Medical Microbiology & Immunology

 Areas of research:

Medical microbiology and immunology in the field of  Salmonella infections and hepatotoxicity with special reference to:

·            Host parasite interactions- Pathogenesis, innate and adaptive immunity

·            Epidemiological studies: genotyping and phenotyping

·            Biotherapeutics and Nanobiotechnology- Probiotics,   phytochemicals, antimicrobial peptides alone or in   conjunctions with antibiotics against Salmonella  infections and hepatotoxicity.

·            Biosensors- Immunobiosensors for the detection of  S. typhi.

5.   DR. SANJEEV KUMAR SONI, Professor

      Specialization: Food and Fermentation Technology

 Areas of Research:

·            Industrial Enzymes:  Co-Production of multiple carbohydrases including  cellulases, xylanases, mannanases, amylases, pullulanases, inulinases and pectinases  on  municipal solid waste and agro-industrial  residues for use in Bioconversion of food and agro-industrial waste residues into sugars.  

·            Biofuels & Bioenergy:  Biorefinery   development for bioconversion of Biodegradable municipal solid waste and agro-waste residues including rice straw, corn stover, defatted rice bran  into ethanol

·            Process development for simultaneous bioconversion of starchy and non-starchy carbohydrates of cereals into ethanol

·            Food Microbiology: Production of non-traditional herbal wines from Aloe vera and Syzygium cumini with protective and therapeutic efficacies

6.   DR. (MRS) KUSUM HARJAI, Professor

      Specialization:  Medical Microbiology & Immunology

  Areas of Research:

·            Sociomicrobiology: Quorum sensing signal molecules and microbial communications.

·            Biofilms : Formation and their eradication.

·            Quorum Quenching: AHL degrading enzymes, Phytochemicals form fruit, herbs and spices.

·            Therapeutics & Prophylaxsis: Biotherapy, Phytotherapy, Apitherapy, Vaccinology.

·            Immunobiology & Nanotechnology: As anti-infective approach.

7.   DR. (MRS) GEETA SHUKLA, Professor

     Specialization: Medical Microbiology & Parasitology

Areas of Research:

·            Materno-foetal relationship in murine malaria during pregnancy with special reference to molecular mechanism of placental pathology.

·            Modulation of murine giardiasis by the supplementation of probiotics in normal /malnourished/ renourished mice.

·            Experimental assessment of probiotics/synbiotic as the natural biointervention in the colon cancer.

8.   DR. DEEPAK KUMAR RAHI, Assistant Professor

     Specialization:  Mycology

 Areas  of Research:

·            Bioprospecting Fungal Diversity from Newer Biotopes    

·            Production & Industrial and Environmental  Applications for Fungal Metabolites (Exopolysaccharides Enzymes, Mycoproteins),

·            Fungal Endophytes from different Plant Hosts for Metabolites & their Potential Applications

·            Fungal Nanotechnology (Fungal mediated synthesis of metal nanoparticles & Potential Applications)

·            Fungal Germplasm Conservation

9.   DR. NAVEEN GUPTA, Assistant Professor

     Specialization: Applied and Molecular Biology

 Areas of Research:

·            Industrial Enzymes: Isolation of novel  bacterial enzymes like Xylanases, Laccases, Mannanases, Proteases for applications in pulp and paper, leather, detergent, food and cosmetic industry .

·            Molecular Biology: Cloning of genes for over expression of enzymes and analyzing the basis of their novel properties at molecular level

·            Bioremediation: Development of process for bioremediation of industrial waste using microorganisms.

10.  DR. SEEMA KUMARI, Assistant professor

      Specialization: Medical Microbiology

 Areas of research:

·          Bacteriophages as alternate strategy to combat antibiotic resistance among bacteria.

·          Phytochemicals as antimicrobial agent for the treatment of various bacterial diseases

·          Role of resolvins as immunomodolators for various bacterial diseases

·          Probiotics as an alternative treatment of septic arthritis