Dr. Sanjay Kumar
Presently, Dr. Sanjay Kumar is working as an Associate Professor at School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi (Jan 2024). He did his B. Tech. (1995-1999) in Biochemical Engineering from Department of Biochemical Engineering and Food Technology, HBTI Kanpur. He has four years of Industrial Experience (1999-2003) in the area of breweries and yeast cultivation. Later, he did his M. Tech. (2003-2005) in Biochemical Engineering from School of Biochemical Engineering, IT-BHU Varanasi. He has completed his Ph.D. (Jan 2006 - Jan 2011) in the area of “therapeutic enzyme bioprocess development” from Biochemical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Guwahati. He has postdoctoral experience (Oct 2010 – Sept 2012) from Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Windsor and Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, Canada in the area of “bioenergy bioprocess development”. After his post-doctoral experience, he has worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, MNNIT Allahabad (Nov 2012 – Oct 2016) and School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT(BHU) Varanasi (Oct 2016 -Jan 2024).
| Degree | Institute/University | Department | Year |
| Ph.D. (Bioprocess Development of Therapeutic Enzyme) | IIT Guwahati, Assam, India | Biotechnology | 2006-2010 |
| M. Tech. | ITBHU (Now IIT(BHU) Varanasi, India) | Biochemical Engineering | 2003-2005 |
| B. Tech. | HBTI, Kanpur,India | Biochemical Engineering | 1995-1999 |
| Employment Details |
| S. No. | Organization | Department/ School | Positions held | Duration | Nature/Level of work | |
| From | To | |||||
| 1 | IIT(BHU) Varanasi, India | Biochemical Engineering | Associate Professor | Jan 2024 | till date | Teaching and Research |
| 2 | IIT(BHU) Varanasi, India | Biochemical Engineering | Assistant Professor | Oct, 2016 | Jan 2024 | Teaching and Research |
| 3 | MNNIT Allahabad, India | Biotechnology | Assistant Professor | Nov, 2012 | Oct, 2016 | Teaching and Research |
| 4 | University of Western Ontario, Canada | Chemical and Biochemical Engineering | Feb 2012 | Sept 2012 | Research | |
| 5 | University of Windsor, Canada | Civil and Environmental Engineering | Oct 2010 | Dec 2011 | Research | |
| Industrial Experiences (1999-2003) |
| S. No. | Address of organization | Positions held | |
| 1 | Kothari Fermentation & Biochem Pvt. Ltd, Sikandrabad, U.P. | Assistant Manager | |
| 2 | Winsome Breweries Pvt. Ltd., Alwar, Rajasthan | Biochemical Engineer |
|
| S. No. | Project Area | Funding agency | Duration | PI/Co-PI Status | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isoprene Production using Modified Yeast System | ANRF | 3 years (2025-2028) | Principal Investigator | Running |
| 2 | Isoprene process development using modified cyanobacteria. | Council of Science and Technology U.P. | 2 years (2024-2026) | Principal Investigator | Running |
| 3 | Metabolic engineering of rapid-growing cyanobacteria for farnesene production and its scaleup studies | Core Research Grant (SERB) | 3 Years (Jan 2023 -2026) | Principal Investigator | Running |
| 4 | Human IL-2 fused leishmanial trypanothione synthetase (TS) as protein vaccine candidates. | Indian Council of Medical Research, GoI | 3 Years (Starts Jan 2022) | Co-Principal investigator | Completed |
| 5 | Engineering of E. coli for production of Isoprene: An industrially important hydrocarbon | Department of Biotechnology, GoI | 3 years | Co-Principal investigator | Completed |
| 6 | Microalgae Cultivation for biofuel production from wastewater | Seed Grant IIT(BHU) Varanasi | 2 years | Principal Investigator | completed |
| 7 | Screening of Algae for Biofuel Production | Seed Grant MNNIT Allahabad | 2 years | Principal Investigator | Completed |
| 8 | Bioelectricity Generation from Microbial Fuel Cell | TEQIP II | 2014-2016 | Principal Investigator | Completed |
| Consultancy and Testing Services |
| Area | Role | Company/ Industry & City | Duration (Days/Months/Year) | Co-Consultant |
| Testing Services completed | ||||
| Biological parameter estimation in Ramgarh Lake | Principal Investigator | UP Jal Nigam, Gorakhpur | 6 months (Mar-Aug 2017) | --- |
| Biological parameter estimation in in Ramgarh Lake | One of the consultant | UP Jal Nigam, Gorakhpur | 6 months (Mar-Aug 2017) | Prof. R. P. Singh; Dr. D. Basu & Dr. A. Pandey |
Patents
- Indian Patent Granted Nov 2024 N2024 [555628] “A process for efficient bioremediation of cheese wastewater” Application no. 201911036799: Ashutosh Pandey, Sanjay Kumar*, Sameer Srivastava
Indian Patent Granted March 2023 [427052] “A novel composition for surface modification of anode for electrochemical application” Application no. 201911018781: Geetanjali, Sanjay Kumar*, Radha Rani
Publications (*Corresponding Author; #Equal author contribution)
2026
Indrajeet Yadav, Akhil Rautela, Agendra Gangwar, Preeti Yadav and Sanjay Kumar*(2026) Techno-Economic Assessment of Sustainable Isoprene Production Coupled with Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Using Genetically Engineered Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973. Green Chemistry - RSC (Accepted) IF 9.1
2025
- Agendra Gangwar, Akhil Rautela and Sanjay Kumar* (2025) Enhanced bioremediation of simulated produced water and biomass generation through co-cultivation of fungi and microalgae: Investigating the effect of different inoculum ratios. Bioresource Technology Reports (Accepted) IF 4.3
Akanksha Singh, Sanjay Kumar*(2025) Development of a robust microbial biosorbent for remediation of Pb2+ from lab-simulated water: Characterization, optimization, modelling and a multi-metal analysis, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering,13(6),19431. IF 7.2
Akanksha Singh; Sanjay Kumar* (2025) Exploring the Functionality of Microbes in Fermented Foods: Technological Advancements and Future Directions. Fermentation 2025,
11, 300. IF 3.3
2024
- Shweta Rawat, Agendra Gangwar and Sanjay Kumar* (2024) Semi-continuous cultivation of microalgae to treat coal mine effluent in pilot scale: Nutrient removal, biodesalination and fatty acid composition analysis. Journal of Water Process Engineering. 67, 106271 IF 6.3
Akanksha Singh, Agendra Gangwar and Sanjay Kumar* (2024) Prospects and limitations of existing biofuels and emerging trends in the utilization of nanoparticles for enhanced biofuel production and microbial fuel cell efficiency. Biofuels IF 2.1
Shweta Rawat, Alok Kumar Singh, Jyoti Prasad Chakraborty, Sanjay Kumar* (2024) Characterization and mechanism elucidation of high-quality bio-oil production from co-pyrolysis of waste low-rank coal fines and de-oiled microalgae biomass using bimetallic (Cu-Cr) ZSM-5 catalyst. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. 12(3) 113046 IF 7.7
Shweta Rawat, Lokesh Wagdre and Sanjay Kumar* (2024) Multi-objective genetic algorithm approach for enhanced cumulative hydrogen and methane-rich syngas emission through co-pyrolysis of de-oiled microalgae and coal blending. Renewable Energy 225 120264 IF 8.7
Akhil Rautela, Rishika Chatterjee, Indrajeet Yadav and Sanjay Kumar* (2024) A Comprehensive Review on Engineered Microbial Production of Farnesene for Versatile Applications. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. 12(2) 112398 IF 7.7
Akhil Rautela, Indrajeet Yadav, Agendra Gangwar, Rishika Chatterjee and Sanjay Kumar* (2024) Photosynthetic production of α-farnesene by engineered Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 from carbon dioxide. Bioresource Technology. 396, 130432 IF 11.4
Agendra Gangwar, Shweta Rawat, Akhil Rautela, Indrajeet Yadav, Anushka Singh and Sanjay Kumar* (2024) Current advances in produced water treatment technologies: A perspective of techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment. Environment, Development and Sustainability. 2024 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04558-w IF 4.9
2023
Indrajeet Yadav, Akhil Rautela, Agendra Gangwar, Lokesh Wagadre, Shweta Rawat and Sanjay Kumar* (2023) Enhancement of isoprene production in engineered Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 by metabolic pathway inhibition and machine learning-based optimization strategy. Bioresource Technology. 387, 129677 IF 11.4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129677
Geetanjali, Shweta Rawat, Radha Rani, Sanjay Kumar* (2023) Kinetic modeling for miniaturize single-chambered microbial fuel cell: effects of biochemical reaction on its performance. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. IF 5.190 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-28798-x
Shweta Rawat and Sanjay Kumar* (2023) Thermal response estimation of de-oiled fresh and marine microalgae based on pyrolysis kinetic studies and deep neural network modeling. BioEnergy Research. IF 3.852 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-023-10630-6
Shweta Rawat and Sanjay Kumar* (2023) Mechanical performance and thermal behavior assessment of de-oiled microalgae blended coal composites using statistical and ANN modelling. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery IF 4.050 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-023-04174-0
Shweta Rawat#, Akhil Rautela#, Indrajeet Yadav, Sibashis Misra, Sanjay Kumar* (2023) A comprehensive review on enhanced biohydrogen production: pretreatment, applied strategies, techno-economic assessment and future perspective. BioEnergy Research 16, 2131–2154 IF 3.852 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-023-10598-3
Indrajeet Yadav, Akhil Rautela, Agendra Gangwar, Vigya Kesari, Aditya K. Padhi, and Sanjay Kumar* (2023) Geranyl Diphosphate Synthase (CrtE) Inhibition using Alendronate Enhances Isoprene Production in Recombinant Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973: A Step towards Isoprene Biorefinery" Fermentation 9 (3), 217. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9030217 IF 3.7
Ashutosh Pandey, Sameer Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar* (2023) Carbon dioxide fixation and lipid storage of Scenedesmus sp. ASK22: A sustainable approach for biofuel production and waste remediation. Journal of Environmental Management 332 (15), 117350 IF 8.91
Nirakar Pradhan, Sanjay Kumar, R. Selvasembian, Shweta Rawat, Agendra Gangwar, R. Senthamizh, Y. K. Yuen, Joyabrata Mal (2023) Emerging trends in the pretreatment of microalgal biomass and recovery of value-added products: A review. Bioresource Technology, 369: 128395. IF 11.4
2022
Akhil Rautela & Sanjay Kumar* (2022) Engineering Plant Family TPS into Cyanobacterial Host for Terpenoids Production. Plant cell reports. 41:1791–1803. IF 4.964
Ashutosh Pandey, Sameer Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar* (2022) Scenedesmus sp. ASK22 cultivation using simulated dairy wastewater for nutrient sequestration and biofuel production: insight into fuel properties and their blends. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-022-02596-w IF 4.050
Shweta Rawat and Sanjay Kumar* (2022) The feasibility study of green microalgae assisted coal mine effluent desalination, Advances in Biological Science Research, Atlantis Press. DOI:10.2991/978-94-6463-020-6_25
2021
- Shweta Rawat & Sanjay Kumar* (2021) Critical review on processing technologies and economic aspect of bio-coal briquette production, Preparative Biochemistry & Biotechnology, DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2021.2001754 IF 3.141
Indrajeet Yadav, Akhil Rautela, Sanjay Kumar* (2021) Approaches in the Photosynthetic Production of Sustainable Fuels by Cyanobacteria using Tools of Synthetic Biology. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 37, 201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-021-03157-5 IF 4.253
V. Kesari*, Sanjay Kumar, Indrajeet Yadav, A. Chaterjee, S.Rai, S. Pandey (2021) Ganga river water quality assessment using combined approaches: physico-chemical parameters and cyanobacterial toxicity detection with special reference to microcystins and molecular characterization of microcystin synthetase (mcy) genes carrying cyanobacteria. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16589-1 IF 5.190
Prabir Das, Jyoti Rani, Shewta Rawat, Sanjay Kumar* (2021) Microalgal co-cultivation for biofuel production and bioremediation: Current status and benefits. BioEnergy Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-021-10254-8 IF 3.852
Geetanjali, Radha Rani, Sanjay Kumar* (2021) Microbial community dynamics of microbial fuel cell in response to NiWO4/rGO nanocomposites as electrocatalyst and its correlation with electrochemical properties. Journal of Environmental and Chemical Engineering,104668, 1-11. doi:10.1016/j.jece.2020.104668 IF 7.968
2020
- P. Kumar, A. Rautela, V. Kesari, D. Szlag, J. Westrick , Sanjay Kumar* (2020) Recent developments in the methods of quantitative analysis of microcystins. Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology; e22582. DOI:10.1002/jbt.22582 IF 3.568
Ashutosh Pandey, Sameer Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar* (2020) Development and cost-benefit analysis of a novel process for biofuel production from microalgae using pre-treated high strength fresh cheese whey wastewater. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-08535-4 IF 5.190
Ashutosh Pandey,Aarti Gupta, Arrabachala Sunny, Sanjay Kumar, Sameer Srivastava* (2020) Multi-objective optimization of media components for improved algae biomass, fatty acid and starch biosynthesis from Scenedesmus sp. ASK22 using desirability function approach. Renewable Energy 150: 476-486 DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2019.12.095 IF 8.634
2019
Ashutosh Pandey, Sameer Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar* (2019) Isolation, screening and comprehensive characterization of candidate microalgae for biofuel feedstock production and dairy effluent treatment: a sustainable approach Bioresource Technology 293, 121998. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2019.121998 IF 11.4
Ashutosh Pandey, Sameer Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar* (2019) Sequential optimization of essential nutrients addition in simulated dairy effluent for improved Scenedesmus sp ASK22 growth, lipid production and nutrients removal. Biomass and Bioenergy, 128,105319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2019.105319 IF 5.774
Geetanjali, Radha Rani, Sanjay Kumar* (2019) Enhanced performance of a single chamber microbial fuel cell using NiWO4 / reduced graphene oxide coated carbon cloth anode. Fuel Cells, 19, 299-308. https://doi.org/10.1002/fuce.201800120 IF 2.948
Geetanjali, Radha Rani, Sanjay Kumar* (2019) High-capacity polyaniline-coated molybdenum oxide composite as an effective catalyst for enhancing the electrochemical performance of the microbial fuel cell. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 44(31),16933-16943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.04.201 IF 7.139
Geetanjali, Radha Rani, Deepamala Sharma, Sanjay Kumar* (2019) Optimization of operating conditions of miniaturize single-chambered microbial fuel cell using NiWO4/graphene oxide modified anode for performance improvement and microbial communities dynamics. Bioresource Technology 285:121337. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.121337 IF 11.4
2018 and Before
Kushwaha A., Hans N., Kumar S., Rani R.(2018) A critical review on speciation, mobilization and toxicity of lead in soil-microbe-plant system and bioremediation strategies. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 147: 1035-1045 (IF: 7.129)
Kushwaha, A., Rani, R., Kumar, S., Thomas T, David A. A. (2017) A new insight to adsorption and accumulation of high lead concentration by exopolymer and whole cells of lead-resistant bacterium Acinetobacter junii L. Pb1 isolated from coal mine dump. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, (IF: 5.190)
Kumar, S., Prabhu A. A., Venkata Dasu, V. and Pakshirajan, K. (2017) Kinetics of growth on dual substrates, production of novel glutaminase free L- asparaginase and substrates utilization by Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428 in batch bioreactor. Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, 34:118-126 (IF: 3.146)
Kanaga, K., Pandey, A., Kumar, S.*, Geetanjali (2016) Multi-objective optimization of media nutrients for enhanced production of algae biomass and fatty acid biosynthesis from Chlorella pyrenoidosa NCIM 2738. Bioresource Technology 200, 940-950 (IF: 11.4)
Kumar, S., Prabhu A. A., Venkata Dasu, V. and Pakshirajan, K. (2016) Batch and fed-batch bioreactor studies for the enhanced production of glutaminase-free L-asparaginase from Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428. Preparative Biochemistry and Biotechnology (DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2016.1168841) (IF: 2.162 )
Kushwaha, A., Rani, R., Kumar, S., Gautam, A. (2015) Heavy metal detoxification and tolerance mechanisms in plants: Implications for phytoremediation. Environmental Review 22, 1-13 DOI: 0.1139/er-2015-0010 (IF: 5.547)
Kumar, S., Venkata Dasu*, V. and Pakshirajan, K. (2011) Purification and characterization of glutaminase free L-asparaginase from Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428. Bioresource Technology 102:2077–2082. (IF 11.4)
Kumar, S., Venkata Dasu*, V. and Pakshirajan, K. (2011) Studies on pH and thermal stabilities of purified L-asparaginase from P. carotovorum MTCC 1428: A thermodynamic consideration. Microbiology 80:355-362. Springer (IF 1.511)
Agarwal# A., Kumar# S. and Venkata Dasu*, V. (2011) Effect of carbon and nitrogen, pH and dissoleved oxygen on L-asparaginase production from a newly isolated Serratia marcescens SK-07. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 52:307–313. (# Equal contribution of authors) (IF 2.813)
Kumar* S., Venkata Dasu*, V. and Pakshirajan, K. (2011) Assessment of physical process conditions for enhanced production of glutaminase free L-asparaginase from Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 163:327–337. (IF 3.094)
Kumar, S., Pakshirajan, K. and Venkata Dasu*, V. (2010) Localization and production of novel L-asparaginase from Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428. Process Biochemistry, 45:223–229. (IF 4.885)
Kumar, S., Venkata Dasu*, V. and Pakshirajan, K. (2009) Development of medium for enhanced production of glutaminase free L-asparaginase from Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 84:477–486. (IF 5.560)
Kumar*, S., Kundu, S., Pakshirajan, K. and Venkata Dasu, V. (2008) Cephalosporins determination with a novel microbial biosensor based on permeabilized pseudomonas aeruginosa whole cells. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 151:653-664. (IF 3.094)
Proceedings
- Sharma S, Pandey A, Negi S, Singh NKS, Agarwal V, Sachan M, Nara S, Mani A, Rani R, Rai AKR, Kumar S, Srivastava S, (2013) Proceedings of international conference on "Health Environment and Industrial Biotechnology- Biosangam-2013', Publisher: McGraw Hill Education Pvt. Ltd. ISBN: 978-9-33-290137-7.
- Sharma S, Pandey A, Negi S, Singh NKS, Agarwal V, Sachan M, Nara S, Mani A, Rani R, Rai AKR, Kumar S, Srivastava S, (2013) Souvenir of international conference on "Health Environment and Industrial Biotechnology- Biosangam-2013', Publisher: Excellent Publishing House, New Delhi, ISBN: 978-93-83083-41-1.
- Sharma S, Pandey A, Negi S, Singh NKS, Agarwal V, Sachan M, Nara S, Mani A, Rani R, Rai AKR, Kumar S, Srivastava S, (2016) Proceedings of international conference on "Translational Biotechnology- Biosangam 2016", Feb 4-6th, 2016, Harileela Publications, Allahabad. ISBN No. 978-93-80635-20-0.
Book Chapter
- Akhil Rautela, Shweta Rawat, Indrajeet Yadav, Agendra Gangwar, Sanjay Kumar *(2023) Process integration opportunities applied to microalgae biomass production. Eduardo Jacob-Lopes, Rosangela Rodrigues Dias and Leila Queiroz Zepka (eds.). In Microalgae-Based Systems, De Gruyter Publications. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/
9783110781267-011
- Indrajeet Yadav, Akhil Rautela, Shweta Rawat, Ajay Kumar Namdeo, Sanjay Kumar* (2023) Metabolic engineering of yeast for advanced biofuel production. A. Daverey (ed.) Advances in Yeast Biotechnology for Biofuels and Sustainability, Elsevier (Accepted)
Prabir Das and Sanjay Kumar* (2022) Cost-benefit analysis of third-generation biofuels. Eduardo Jacob-Lopes (ed.), 3rd Generation Biofuels : Disruptive Technologies to Enable Commercial Production, Elsevier
- Akhil Rautela, Sanjay Kumar* (2021) Engineered Microorganisms for Production of Biocommodities. In Biomolecular Engineering Solutions for Renewable Specialty Chemicals (eds R.N. Krishnaraj and R.K. Sani). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119771951.ch1
Ashutosh Pandey, Gaurav Kant, Manish P. Singh, Sadma Afzal, Nand Kumar Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Sameer Srivastava (2021) Genetic Manipulation of Microalgae for Enhanced Biotechnological Applications. In Mostafa El Sheekh, Abhomora (eds.) Handbook of Algal Biofuels: Aspects of Cultivation, Conversion and Biorefinery, Elsevier. Pages 97-114. ISBN 9780128237649
Ashutosh Pandey, Sanjay Kumar*, Sameer Srivastava (2020) Algal Biomass Harvesting for Biofuel Production. In Algal Biofuel: Sustainable Solution Eds Richa Kothari, VV Pathak, and VV Tyagi. TERI Publication (TERI Press), New Delhi India ISBN 978-93-8653-094-3
Jyoti Rani, Indrajeet, Akhil Rautela, Sanjay Kumar* (2019) Biovolarization of winery industry waste to produce value added products In Biovalorisation of Wastes to Renewable Chemicals and Biofuels Eds. Navanietha Rathinam, Rajesh Kumar Sani, Elsevier (ISBN 9780128179529)
Ashutosh Pandey, Sameer Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar (2019). Phycoremediation of dairy industry effluents and biomass valorisation: a sustainable approach. In Application of Microalgae in Wastewater Treatment Volume 2: Biorefinery Approaches of Wastewater Treatment Eds: Faizal Baux, Sanjay Kumar Gupta. Springer Nature Switzerland AG. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-13909-4 (ISBN 978-3-030-13909-4). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-13909-4_9
Ashutosh Pandey, Manish P. Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Sameer Srivastava (2019). Phycoremediation of persistent organic pollutants from wastewater. In Application of Microalgae in Wastewater Treatment Volume 1: Domestic and Industrial Wastewater Treatment. Eds: Faizal Baux, Sanjay Kumar Gupta. Springer Nature Switzerland AG doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-13913-1 (ISBN 978-3-030-13913-1). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-13913-1_11
Geetanjali, Roma Agrahari, Sanjay Kumar, Radha Rani (2019) Microbial fuel cell based process for wastewater treatment and power generation. In Environmental Chemistry for a Sustainable World Volume: Environmental Biotechnology Eds: Gothandam KM, Shivendu Ranjan, Nandita Dasgupta and Eric Lichtfouse. Springer Nature (ISSN: 2213-7114)
A Kushwaha, R Rani, Sanjay Kumar (2017) Mechanism of Soil-Metal-Microbe Interaction and Its Implication on Microbial Phytoremediation In: Environmental Science and Engineering Volume 8 : Biodegradation and Bioremediation Ed: Pravinder Kumar, Bhola R Gurjar,J N Govil Studium Press LLC ISBN - 1-62699-096-4
IPDF at IIT(BHU)
| S. No | Name of Staff | Join |
| 1. | Dr. Samujjal Bhattacharjee | April 2026 |
PhD [Ongoing]
| S. No | Name of Student | Thesis Area | Guided as | Status |
| 1. | Agendra Gangwar (DBT JRF) | Wastewater remediation | Supervisor | Ongoing (Jan 2022 onwards) |
| 2. | Akanksha Singh | Bioremediation of pollutants | Supervisor | Ongoing (Jan 2023 onwards) |
| 3. | Suman Yadav (CSIR JRF) | Biofuel process development | Supervisor | Ongoing (July 2024 onwards) |
| 4. | Rakshit Upreti | Biofuel process development | Supervisor | Ongoing (Dec 2024 onwards) |
| 5. | Prabir Manna | -- | Supervisor | Ongoing (July 2025 onwards) |
| 6. | Preeti Yadav | -- | Supervisor | Ongoing (Jan 2026 onwards) |
PhD Awarded
| S. No | Name of Student | Thesis Area | Status | Present Status |
| 1. | Dr. Ashutosh Pandey | Algal Biofuel | PhD Awarded (2020) | Post Doc at DUT South Africa |
| 2. | Dr. Geetanjali | Microbial Fuel Cell | PhD Awarded (2020) | NPDF (IIT R) |
| 3 | Dr. Indrajeet | Isoprene production | PhD Awarded (2024) | AI Scientist, |
| 4 | Dr. Akhil Rautela | Farnesene Production | PhD awarded (2024) | PDF TSU USA |
| 5 | Dr. Shweta Rawat | Coal, Biomass and Biofuel | PhD Awarded (2024) | Assistant Professor (BTKIT Dhwarahat) |
Project Staff at IIT(BHU)
| S. No | Name of Staff | Join |
| 1. | Kritika Kandari | Sept 2025 |
M.Tech. student at IIT(BHU)
| S. No. | Name | Thesis/ Dissertation | Year | Guided as | Status |
| 1 | Akanksha Patel | -- | 2026-27 | Supervisor | Ongoing |
| 2 | Jilka Kishan Kamleshbhai | M. Tech. (Downstream processing of isoprene) | 2025-26 | Supervisor | Ongoing |
| 3 | Vivek Kumar | IDD MTech | 2025-26 | Supervisor | Ongoing |
PhD Awarded at IITBHU Varanasi
| S. No | Name of Student | Thesis Area | Status |
| 1. | Indrajeet | Production of Isoprene from genetically modified cyanobacteria | PhD Awarded (2024) |
| 2. | Akhil Rautela | Farnesene production from engineered cyanobacteria | PhD Awarded (2024) |
| 3. | Shweta Rawat | Biofuel Process development using waste coal fines and deoiled microalgae | Final defense 20/12/2024 |
PhD Student at MNNIT Allahabad
| S. No | Name of Student | Thesis Area | Status |
| 1. | Ashutosh Pandey | Algal Biofuel | PhD Awarded (18 Dec 2020) |
| 2. | Geetanjali | Microbial Fuel Cell | PhD Awarded (23 Dec 2020) |
Project Staff at IIT(BHU)
| S. No | Name of Staff | Join |
| 1. | Rishika Chatterjee | 1 year 2 months (May 2023 to June 2024) |
| 2 | Akhil Rautela | 5 months (June to Nov 2024) |
| 3 | Preeti Yadav | 1 year (Dec 24 to Dec 25) |
| 4 | Km. Savita | 3 Months (Dec 25 to March 26) |
IIT(BHU) Varanasi (2016- Till Date)
M.Tech.
| S.No. | Year | 8Name of student | Guided As | Present status |
| 1 | 2017-18 | Ms. Priya Singh M.Tech. (DAAD IIT Sandwich Fellowship, Germany) | Supervisor | Doing PhD USA |
| 2 | 2018-19 | Mr. Piyush Kumar M.Tech. (Broad area: Cyanotoxin removal process development) | Supervisor | Doing PhD IIT Kanpur |
| 3 | 2018-19 | Mr. Yogesh Singh Danu IDD M.Tech. (Broad area: microbial fuel cell performance enhancement) | Supervisor | IITBHU placement |
| 4 | 2018-19 | Mr. Vikas Kumar Meena IDD M.Tech. (Broad area: Algal Biofuel) | Supervisor | -- |
| 5 | 2018-19 | Ms. Shelja Verma M.Tech. (Topic: Production and Application of β-Glucosidase) | Co-supervisor | Doing PhD IITBHU |
| 6 | 2019-20 | Mr. Prabir Das M.Tech. (Broad area: Algal biofuel) | Supervisor | Doing PhD IITG |
| 7 | 2019-20 | Ms. Ocieno Singh IDD M.Tech.(Broad Area: Blood cell counting automated system) | Supervisor | IITBHU Placement |
| 8 | 2019-20 | Mr. Gaurav Kumar IDD M.Tech. (Broad Area: Microalgae applications) | Supervisor | -- |
| 9 | 2020-21 | Mr. Bikash Kumar Mahto M.Tech. (Thesis area: Simulative study of algal biofuel) | Supervisor | Assistant Professor |
| 10 | 2020-21 | Mr. Mohit Sharma IDD M.Tech. (Thesis Area: Deep Learning use for B-cell antigenic classification) | Supervisor | IITBHU Placement |
| 11 | 2020-21 | Mr. Ayush Shukla IDD M.Tech. (Thesis: Cancer classification using Machine Learning) | Supervisor | IITBHU Placement |
| 12 | 2020-21 | Mr. B.M. Reddy IDD M.Tech. | Supervisor | -- |
| 13 | 2021-22 | Mr. Sibashish Mishra (Broad Area: TEA of Biohydrogen) | Supervisor | -- |
| 14 | 2021-22 | Mr. Tanuj Handa | Co-supervisor | PhD at IITR |
| 15 | 2022-23 | Mr. Lokesh Wagadre IDD M.Tech. (Broad Area: ANN based bioprocess condition optimization) | Supervisor | IITBHU Placement |
| 16 | 2022-23 | Mr. Jitu Moni Das IDD M.Tech. (Broad Area: TEA of cyanobacteria biofuel) | Supervisor | IITBHU Placement |
| 17 | 2022-23 | Mr. Devkinandan Jaiswal IDD M.Tech.(Broad Area: Isolation and kinetic modeling) | Supervisor | -- |
| 18 | 2022-23 | Ms. Anushka Singh (Broad Area: Wastewater Treatment using Algae) | Supervisor | PhD at IIT Guwahati |
| 19 | 2023-24 | Mr. Banoth Yugandhar | Supervisor | -- |
| 20 | 2023-24 | Mr. Kushal Chandra Swargiary | Supervisor | -- |
| 21 | 2024-25 | Ms. Smruti S. Mishra | Supervisor | -- |
| 22 | 2024-25 | Ms. Smriti Khare | Supervisor | IITBHU Placement |
| 23 | 2024-25 | Mr. A. Sanjay | Supervisor | -- |
B. Tech. IDD
| S.No. | Year | Name of student | Guided As | S. No. | Year | Name of student | Guided As |
| 1 | 2017-18 | Mr. Yogesh Danu | Supervisor | 5 | 2019-20 | Mr. Mohit Sharma | Supervisor |
| 2 | 2017-18 | Mr. Vikas Kumar Meena | Supervisor | 6 | 2020-21 | Mr. A. Sanjay | Supervisor |
| 3 | 2018-19 | Ms. Oceino Singh | Supervisor | 7 | 2022-23 | Mr. Kushal Chandra Swargiary | Supervisor |
| 4. | 2018-19 | Mr. Gaurav Kumar | Supervisor | 8 | 2022-23 | Mr. Banoth Yugandhar | Supervisor |
| 9. | 2023-24 | Mr. Vivek Kumar | Supervisor | 10 |
AT MNNIT Allahabad (2012-2016)
| M. Tech. | B. Tech. | |||||
| S.No. | Year | Name of student | S.No. | Year | Name of student | |
| 1 | 2015-16 | Mr. Brijesh Singh | 3 | 2015-16 | Mr. Sunil Anumolu | |
| 2 | 2014-15 | Ms. K. Kanaga | 4 | 2015-16 | Mr. Utkarsh Chaudhary | |
| 3 | 2013-14 | Mr. Kishan R. Bhardwaj | 5 | 2015-16 | Mr. Veer Singh | |
| B. Tech. | 6 | 2014-15 | Mr. Prakhar N. Singh | |||
| 1 | 2013-14 | Mr. Shantanu Tandon | 7 | 2014-15 | Mr. Lallan Yadav | |
| 2 | 2013-14 | Mr. Avinash Singh | 8 | 2014-15 | Mr. Rohit Jaiswal |
Administrative/ Academic Responsibilities
| S. No. | Position Name & Place | Duration |
| AT MNNIT ALLAHABAD | ||
| 1 | Members of the Departmental Faculty Committee, DUGC, DMPC, Dept. Information committee, NBA committee for PG | 2013 - 2014 |
| 2 | Hostel Warden at MNNIT | March 2015 – Sept 2016 |
| 3 | Members of Departmental Faculty Committee, Dept. Faculty advisory Committee (DFAC), DUGC, DMPC, DDPC, Purchase Committee, NBA Committee for PG, Departmental Examination Committee (OC), Lab (OC) | 2015 - 2016 |
AT IIT(BHU) VARANASI | ||
| 1 | Science and Technology Counsellor (SnTC), IITBHU Varanasi | 2024 - 2025 |
| 2 | Member of Departmental Faculty Committee, DUGC, Timetable committee | 2017 - 2018 |
| 3 | Convener departmental website, Member of the DPGC, DUGC, Faculty commi 2024-25ttee | 2018 - 2020 |
| 4 | Convener Timetable | 2018 - 2024 |
| 5 | Warden, Dhanrajgiri Hostel, IIT(BHU) Varanasi | Oct 2018-May 2021 |
| 6 | DUGC Convener | Sept 2019- Aug 2020; May 2021-Aug 2021; Sept 2023- Aug 2024 |
| 7 | DPGC Convener | Sept 2020 - Aug 2022 |
| 8 | Chairman, M.Tech. Selection Committee | July 2020; May 2023, July 2024 |
| 9 | Chairman, PhD Selection Committee | Dec 2020; May 2021; Dec 2022; May 2023; Dec 2023, July 2024 |
| 10 | Administrative Warden, IIT Boys Hostel, IITBHU Varanasi | June-2021- May 2022, Jan 2023 to May 2023 |
| 11 | Administrative Warden, Vishweshvarayia Hostel, IITBHU Varanasi | June-2022- till date |
| 12 | Department Purchase Committee Member, DFAC member | 2020- 2024, Jan 2024 onwards |
| Conferences Presentations/Papers (Under line Presenter) |
Akhil Rautela, Sanjay Kumar* (2024) Photosynthetic Production of Farnesene by Engineered Cyanobacteria. BioSangam 2024: 6th International Conference on Bio-Technological Intervention for Health, Agriculture and Circular Economy organized by Department of Biotechnology, Motilal Nehru Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, India. (23-25 Feb, 2024) [Young Scientist Award]
Rishika Chatterjee, Akhil Rautela, and Sanjay Kumar* (2024) Vector construction for improvisation of farnesene production in cyanobacteria. BioSangam 2024: 6th International Conference on Bio-Technological Intervention for Health, Agriculture and Circular Economy organized by Department of Biotechnology, Motilal Nehru Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, India. (23-25 Feb, 2024) [Best Poster Award]
Agendra Gangwar, Sanjay Kumar* (2024) Bioremediation of produced water using fungi and microalgae. BioSangam 2024: 6th International Conference on Bio-Technological Intervention for Health, Agriculture and Circular Economy organized by Department of Biotechnology, Motilal Nehru Institute of Technology Allahabad, Prayagraj, India. (23-25 Feb, 2024)
Indrajeet Yadav, Sanjay Kumar* (2022) Photosynthetic production of isoprene by genetically engineered cyanobacteria for biofuel application. International conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Challenges (VII SEEC) organized by Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, India Under the auspices of International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (ISEES) (Dec 16-18, 2022).
Shweta Rawat, Sanjay Kumar* (2022) Investigations on mechanical and thermal performance of wastewater grown microalgae blended coal briquettes as Green coal. International conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Challenges (VII SEEC) organized by Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, India Under the auspices of International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (ISEES) (Dec 16-18, 2022).
- Shweta Rawat and Sanjay Kumar* (2022) The feasibility study of green microalgae assisted coal mine effluent desalination. An International Conference Emerging Trends in Biotechnology (Biosangam 2022) organized by Department of Biotechnology, MNNIT Allahabad, Prayagraj, India (March 10-12,2022).
Agendra Gangwar, Sanjay Kumar* (2022) International Lectures Workshop on Recent advances in interdisciplinary chemical sciences (RAICS- 2022). Organized by Chemistry Section Mahila Mahavidyalay BHU, Varanasi (May 24-25, 2022)
Shweta Rawat, Sanjay Kumar* (2021) Process development and performance assessment of wastewater grown microalgae-coal densification. 4th International Conference on Opencast Mining Technology & Sustainability (ICOMS-2021) organized by Northern Coalfields Limited, Singrauli in association with IITBHU. (Dec. 13-14, 2021). [Best Poster Award]
- Geetanjali, Radha Rani, Sanjay Kumar (2019) Nickel tungsten bimetal oxide impregnated on rGO as bifunctional anode catalyst for improved performance of microbial fuel cells. International Conference on 6th Nano Today organized by Nano today Journal and Elsevier, Lisbon Portugal. (June 16-20, 2019)
- Ashutosh Pandey, Sameer Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar*. (2018) Strategic enhancement of lipid accumulation through statistical optimization of nutrient supplementation in coupling indigenous microalgae Scenedesmus sp. ASK22 cultivation and dairy wastewater treatment. International Conference on Innovations and Translational Dimensions: Food, Health, and Environmental Biotechnology (BioSangam-2018), organized by Department of Biotechnology, MNNIT Allahabad, Allahabad (India).
- Priya Singh, S. Kumar*, Johanna (2018) Functionalization of smartphone – assisted Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors TECHNOVA-2018 organised by Krishi Sanskriti Publications, JNU Delhi May 2018
- Geetanjali, Kumar S.* and Radha Rani (2018) Anode modification with nanoflaky nickel oxide nanoparticles: a simple method to improve the power generation of microbial fuel cell. International Conference on Innovations and Translational Dimensions: Food, Health, and Environmental Biotechnology (Biosangam - 2018), March 9-11, MNNIT Allahabad India
- Ashutosh Pandey, Sameer Srivastava, Sanjay Kumar*. (2018) Optimization of the Coagulation Process for Dairy Wastewater Treatment Using Response Surface Methodology and Algal Biomass Production for Biofuel Production. Recent Advances in Materials for Sustainable Energy (RAMSE-2018), organized by Department of Applied Chemistry, IIT(ISM) Dhanbad (India).
- Pandey, A., Manish P., Srivastava, S., Kumar, S*. (2017) Isolation and characterization of microalgae for biodiesel production and nutrient remediation. International Conference on Plant and Microbial Biotechnology (PMB2017), Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology Noida, (India).
- Geetanjali,Kumar S.* and Radha Rani (2017) Novel electrode based on ruthenium oxide and polyaniline anode for improved performance of microbial fuel cells. International Conference on Advances in Plant and Microbial Technology (PMB-2017), Feb02-04, Jaypee Institute of Technology, Noida, India.
- Pandey A., Kamaraj K. Kumar S.* (2015) Strategic improvement of carbohydrate uptake, lipid and algal biomass production by statistical optimization of nutrients variables from Chlorella pryrenoidosa NCIM 2738. 68th Annual Session of Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (CHEMCON 2015), Dec 27-30, IIT Guwahati, India.
- Geetanjali, Bharadwaj K.R., Kumar S.*,Radha Rani (2015) Effect of chamber volume, electrode material and cation exchange membrane on performance of Microbial Fuel Cell. International Conference on Advances in Energy Research (ICAER 2015), Dec 15-17, IIT Bombay, India.
- Geetanjali, Kumar S.* and Radha Rani (2015) Influence of reactor configuration on power production in fed batch microbial fuel cells using pretreated mixed anaerobic culture. Indian chemical engineering congress (CHEMCON 2015), Dec 27-30, IIT Guwahati, India
- Geetanjali, Kumar S.*, Radha Rani (2015) Different reactor configuration to optimize the performance of MFC for generating power and treating domestic wastewater. International Conference on Geo-Engineering and Climate Change Technologies for Sustainable Environment Management (GCCT 2015), Oct 9-11, MNNIT Allahabad India.
- Kumar S., Roy J.M. and Lalman J.A. (2011). Effects of Volatile Fatty Acid Mixtures and Long Chain Fatty Acids On Hydrogen Consumption By Mixed Anaerobic Cultures. The World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. May 8-11, Toronto, Canada.
- Shewa W., Kumar S.,Chaganti S.R., Heath D., and Lalman J.A. (2011). Inhibitory effect of olive and safflower oils on hydrogen production in mixed anaerobic communities. The World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. May 8-11, Toronto, Canada
- Kumar, S.,Pakshirajan, K. and VenkataDasu*, V. (2009). Characterization of L-asparaginase from Pectobacteriumcarotovorum MTCC 1428. International Symposium on Recent Advances in Biotherapeutics, Feb 13-14, RILS, Mumbai, India. p 75.
- Kumar, S.,VenkataDasu*, V. and Pakshirajan, K. (2008). Purification and properties of a chemoterapeutic enzyme, L-asparaginase,fromPectobacteriumcarotovorum MTCC 1428. EHRLICH II – 2nd world conference on magic bullets, Oct 3-5, Nuremberg, Germany. http://www.ehrlich-2008.org/Abstractbook_2008.doc
- Kumar, S.Venkata Dasu*, V.and Pakshirajan, K. (2008). Development of medium for maximum production of L-asparaginase from Pectobacteriumcarotovorum MTCC 1428. XX International congress of genetics, Jul 12-17,Berlin, Germany. P115/05/A, p 89
- Kumar, S.,Kundu S., Pakshirajan, K. and Venkata Dasu*, V. (2007). Sensitive determination of cephalosporins with a new potentiometric microbial biosensor based on P. aeruginosa.The International Conference on New Horizons in Biotechnology (NHBT-2007), Nov 26-29, Trivandrum, India. IB-219, pp 169-70.
- Kumar, S., Venkata Dasu*, V.and Pakshirajan, K. (2007). Studies on localization and production of bacterial L-asparaginase. 48th Annual conference of AMI, Dec 18-21, IIT Madras, Chennai, India. IN15, p 22.,
| Conference/workshop |
PAST ORGANIZING EVENTS
| S.No. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Recent Advancements in Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology" at IIT(BHU) Varanasi | National conference | March 15-16, 2019 | Organizing Secretary |
| 2 | Cell Processing Technology and Engineering- A New Paradigm At SBCE, IITBHU Varanasi | QIP workshop (National) | Dec 5-10, 2018 | Co-convener |
| 3 | Bioinstrumentation and Control in Bioreactor Design. At SBCE, IITBHU Varanasi | QIP workshop (National) | Nov 7-13, 2017 | Co-convener |
| 4 | Advances in Bioprocess Engineering at SBCE, IIT(BHU) | QIP workshop (National) | June 19-24, 2017 | Organizing member |
| 5 | International conference on translational Biotechnology (BioSangam 2016) at MNNIT Allahabad | International conference | Feb 4-6, 2016 | Coordinator |
| 6 | International conference on health, Environment and Industrial Technology (BioSangam 2013) at MNNIT Allahabad | International conference | Nov 21-23, 2013 | Coordinator |
| 7 | Self Sponsored Short Term Workshop on “Human, Health and Environment Sciences” at MNNIT Allahabad | Short Term Workshop | Jun 4-8, 2013 | Coordinator |
| 8 | Self Sponsored Short term Workshop on “Frontier in Biotechnology” at MNNIT Allahabad | Short Term Workshop | May 28- Jun 1, 2013 | Coordinator |
Contact
Dr. Sanjay Kumar
Associate Professor
Biofuel Research Laboratory
School of Biochemical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi
Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
Email: sanjaykr.bce@iitbhu.ac.in
Opportunities
We are looking for highly motivated PDF, PhD students and PG students to join our biofuel research group and work on some exciting projects on understanding and engineering of yeast, cyanobacterial and algal biofuels, MFC and biohydrogen. Research experience related to biofuel research with expertise in yeast, cyanobacteria / microalgae cultivation, microbial molecular biology, Microbial fuel cell, anaerobic bacterial cultivation, handling of bioreactor, gas chromatography analysis, bioprocess scale-up is desirable, but not essential. Interested candidates may contact at sanjaykr.bce@iitbhu.ac.in.