Department of Microbiology

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About the Department

The Department was started in the year 2009 and was housed under the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences. The Department is committed to excellence in education, research and extension. The Department is being strengthened with various research units and periodical update / modernization of the curricula. The Department of Microbiology at the Pondicherry University, School of Life Sciences, brings together a variety of researchers as faculty of this programme who are specialized in their domains and united by the common goal of understanding the “Microbes”.The department has been offering M.Sc. and Ph.D. courses in Microbiology.

As the microbial activities are so diverse, the microbiology programme is a multidisciplinary subject, which will have the roots of life science, environmental science, and engineering. Traditional microbiology is considered to be an important area of study in biology since it has enormous potential and vast scope in fermentation, bioremediation and biomedical technology. But the recent developments from human microbiome project, metagenomics and microbial genome projects have expanded its scope and potential in the next generation drug design, molecular pathogenesis, phylogeography, production of smart biomolecules, etc. Modern Microbiology has expanded its roots in genome technology, nanobiotechnology, green energy (biofuel) technology, bioelectronics, etc. Considering recent innovations and rapid growth of microbiological approaches and applications in human and environmental sustainability, the M.Sc. Microbiology curriculum is designed to enlighten the students in basics of Microbiology to recent developments.

Vision

To emerge as world class department and excel in Microbiology through innovative, collaborative and inter-disciplinary research.

Mission

To offer quality education and research in Microbiology
To encourage research and development skills among students in Microbiology
To reveal excellence in exploitation of microbial resources for human health and greener applications

+91-413-2654-868 / 870

head.mib@pondiuni.ac.in

Vision and Message of Head of Department

Dr. Maheswaran Mani

Professor

Department of Microbiology is dedicated to achieve excellence in education, research, and innovation in microbiology. Department has highly qualified faculty members trained at leading global institutions and are committed to develop an encouraging academic environment. We are offering M.Sc. Microbiology and Ph.D. Microbiology and our M.Sc. Microbiology program is highly competitive, and receives highest number of applications in every year, reflecting its national standing and academic quality. There are several ongoing research projects funded by various national and international organizations such as DST, DBT, SERB, ICMR, EU and Indo-Russia collaboration. Our department has established collaborations and signed several MoUs with leading institutions in India and abroad, fostering a culture of interdisciplinary and international research among students. Our faculties and students publish high quality research papers and book chapters, demonstrating our commitment to impactful scientific advancement. We invite prospective students, researchers, and collaborators to explore the vibrant academic and research ecosystem of our department.

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Office Contact Details

+91-413-2654-874

pudept.microbiology@gmail.com

Programmes Offered

M.Sc. Microbiology

Ph.D. Microbiology

Faculty

Dr. Joseph Selvin

Professor

Dr. Maheswaran Mani

Professor

Dr. V. Thillai Sekar

Associate Professor

Dr. Sharmili Jagtap

Assistant Professor

Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass

Associate Professor

Dr. Busi Siddhardha

Associate Professor

Dr. Vinoth Rajendran

DST INSPIRE Assistant Professor

Infrastructure

The Department has state-of-the-art laboratories with an excellent modern instrumentation facility for teaching and advanced research in Microbiology. The instrument facility includes- Laminar air flow, autoclave, microbial incubators, BOD incubator, High Speed Refrigerated Centrifuges, HPLC, Ultracentrifuge, PCR, CO2-incubators, microscopes, UVVis Spectrophotometers, water-purifier and -80°C. Further major equipment are available in the Central Instrumentation Facility.

Thrust Area of Teaching & Research

The faculty members are actively engaged in research and published papers in international impact journals. Various funded projects by UGC, DST-SERB, DBT, DST Indo-Ireland and CSIR are being implemented in Department of Microbiology. Based on the expertise of the faculty, the following thrust areas of research are being promoted in the Department of Microbiology:

Metagenomics and Microbial Bioprospecting
Fungal Genetics and Mycotoxicology
Microbial Biocatalysis and Drug Discovery
Enzyme Technology
Host-Pathogen interaction

Achievements

Department of Microbiology is awarded with several research grants from funding agencies such as DBT, ICMR, SERB, European Union and Indo-Russia grant. The department is also supported by DST-FIST programme.

Placement & Internships

The Department of Microbiology is dedicated to develop students for successful careers by facilitating internship and placement opportunities at reputed academic/research institutes in India and abroad as doctoral and post-doctoral fellows.

Our MSc and PhD students are placed in top biotech/pharma firms such as Bharat Biotech, Biocon, CuraTeQ Biologics, Diligence Bio Pvt. Ltd., Aurobindo Pharma Pvt. Ltd., Auro Vaccine Pvt. Ltd., Sentienz Solutions, and KDC Lab etc.

Research Projects

List of Completed and Ongoing Projects in the Department

S. No	Principal Investigator	Title of the Project	Funding Agency	Period	Amount (in lakhs)	Status
1	Prof. Maheswaran Mani	Identification and Characterization of Kit Interacting Receptors in Hematopoietic Cells	DBT	2018-2021	25	Completed
2	Prof. Maheswaran Mani	Functions of Kit cross receptor signaling in Hematopoietic Stem Cell	SERB	2020-2023	58	Completed
3	Prof. Maheswaran Mani	Identification of Signaling Network in Stem Cell Factor and Interleukin-3 Induced Synergistic Proliferation of Human Megakaryocytes	ICMR	2020-2023	40	Ongoing
4	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Secondary Metabolites synthesis in Chosen Marine Sponges	DST	2004-2007	9.5	Completed
5	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Biological control of shrimp diseases using antagonistic probiotics from marine bacterial symbionts	UGC	2006-2009	7.47	Completed
6	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Development of Novel Antimicrobial Agents from Endosymbiotic Marine Actinomycetes	CSIR	2006-2009	14.3	Completed
7	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Development of culture-independent approaches	IFS Sweden	2006-2008	10.28	Completed
8	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Shrimp Probiotics	INSA	2007-2008	1.5	Completed
9	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Uncultivable Bacteria Associated with Marine Sponges	DBT-RGYI	2007-2010	23	Completed
10	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Development of an Integrated Disease Management (IDM) System for Sustainable Shrimp Farming	DBT	2007-2010	27.99	Completed
11	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Exploration of Sponge Associated Marine Bacterial Endosymbionts	MoES, New Delhi	2007-2009	15.63	Completed
12	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Chemical ecology of Dendrilla nigra, a fouling sponge	IFS, Sweden	2008-2010	8.56	Completed
13	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Development of novel biosurfactants from marine actinobacteria	CSIR	2010-2013	23	Completed
14	Prof. Joseph Selvin	High throughput selection and production of biosurfactants from the metagenome of marine sponges	DST-Indo-Ireland	2010-2013	6.2	Completed
15	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Development of Greener Scale-up Bioprocess for the Production of Biosurfactants from Marine Actinobacteria	DBT	2010-2013	43.65	Completed
16	Prof. Joseph Selvin	High throughput selection and production of Poly-hydroxy Alkanoates (PHA) from the metagenome of marine sponge(s)	DBT	2014-2017	53	Completed
17	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Development of Antibiofilm Compounds from Marine Bacteria	UGC	2015-2018	6.7	Completed
18	Prof. Joseph Selvin	AMRWATCH: Defining the AMR Burden of Antimicrobial Manufacturing Waste in Puducherry and Chennai	DBT-NERC	2020-2025	455	Ongoing
19	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Impact of climate change on the emergence of stress tolerant Symbiodinium clade and altered microbiome in reef building corals	DBT	2021-2025	378	Ongoing
20	Prof. Joseph Selvin	Dissecting the role of vaginal and urinary tract Microbiome Dysbiosis in recurrent Urinary Tract Infections and emergence of Antimicrobial Resistance: A case-control study	ICMR	2024-2027	113	Ongoing
21	Dr. Thillai Sekar	Development of Therapeutic Nanobodies against Dengue Virus using Nanobody-Phage Display Library	PU – Seed Grant		3	Completed
22	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant Soil Microbiologist	National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Government of India and Naandi Foundation	May 2012	0.10	Completed
23	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Trainer and Field Work Consultant in Organic Agriculture (SDG 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 15- Life on Land)	National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Government of India and Naandi Foundation	May 2014	0.25	Completed
24	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant for design of Technical Document on Pomegranate Cultivation using Sustainable Agriculture Practices (SDG 11- Sustainable cities and Communities)	Wardha Family Farming Project (WFFP) and Naandi Foundation	June 2015 to July 2015	0.60	Completed
25	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Organic Agriculture Field work (SDG 11- Sustainable cities and Communities)	Wardha Family Farming Project (WFFP) and Naandi Foundation	21.05.2015 to 29.05.2015	0.25	Completed
26	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Jury Member and Consultant in Microbiology (SDG 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 15- Life on Land)	Araku Coffee Farming Project	January 2017	0.20	Completed
27	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Jury Member and Consultant in Microbiology (SDG 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 15- Life on Land)	Araku Coffee Farming Project	February 2018	0.40	Completed
28	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Jury Member and Consultant in Microbiology (SDG 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 15- Life on Land	Araku Coffee Farming Project	February 2019	0.40	Completed
29	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant in Organic Agriculture (Sponsored)	Sprukfield Company, Spanish Honourary Consulate in Togo and Government of Togo	May 2019	2.20	Completed
30	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant in Demeter International Certification	POABS Biotech Private Limited	July 2019	0.10	Completed
31	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant in Demeter International Certification	POABS Biotech Private Limited	March 2020	0.10	Completed
32	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Jury Member and Consultant in Microbiology (SDG 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 15- Life on Land)	Araku Coffee Farming Project	January 2020	0.40	Completed
33	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant, Preparation of a Technical Document entitled -Scaling-up of NBS innovative technologies & practices in agriculture, using pilot demonstrations and case studies in some of the ECA countries	United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (UNFAO)	Aug 2021 to Dec 2021	0.54	Completed
34	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Coffee fermentation using Indigenous Araku Yeasts	Naandi Foundation	Oct 2021 to Feb 2022	1.80	Completed
35	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant in Biodynamic Agriculture and Demeter Certification (SDG12- Responsible consumption and production)	POABS Enterprises Pvt. Limited	Sep 2021 to Dec 2022	1.40	Completed
36	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Morphological and Genetic Characterization of Yeasts from Coffee	Araku Coffee Farming Project, Araku Livelihoods, Naandi Foundation	October 2021 to June 2022	5.8	Completed
37	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant in Eco Regenerative Agriculture (SDG 5-Gender Equality; Fully sponsored Consultancy Project)	Regenerative Agriculture Unit, Naandi Foundation	09-06-2022 to 13-06-2022	0.40	Completed
38	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Jury Member and Field Consultant (SDG 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 15- Life on Land)	Araku Livelihoods, Naandi Foundation	30-04-2022 to 04-05-2022	0.35	Completed
39	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Jury Member and Field Consultant (SDG 8-Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 15- Life on Land)	Araku Livelihoods, Naandi Foundation	23-03-2023 to 27-03-2023	0.31	Completed
40	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant in Biodynamic Agriculture and Demeter Certification (SDG12- Responsible consumption and production)	POABS Enterprises Pvt. Limited	01-01-2023 to 30-06-2023	0.72	Completed
41	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Optimization of Methane in Anaerobic Digestion	Carbon Loops Private Limited, Chennai	Sep 2023 to Feb 2024	1	Completed
42	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Jury Member and Field Consultant (SDG 11- Sustainable cities and Communities; Fully Sponsored Consultancy Project)	Araku Transformation Project, Naandi Foundation	13-02-2024 to 19-02-2024	0.40	Completed
43	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Consultant in Biodynamic Agriculture and Demeter Certification (SDG12- Responsible consumption and production)	POABS Enterprises Pvt. Limited	01-01-2024 to 30-06-2024	0.81	Completed
44	Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass	Tripartite Diversity Evaluation Network for Terrains	Araku Livelihoods, Naandi Foundation	Aug 2024 to Feb 2025	3. 2	Ongoing
45	Dr. Busi Siddhardha	Bioprospecting of Rhizosphere Pseudomonas spp. as biocontrol agents against certain fungal diseases of Solanum lycopersicum L.	UGC	2012-2014	6.0	Completed
46	Dr. Busi Siddhardha	Microbial metabolites as antiquorum sensing agent for the development of novel anti-infectives	SERB	2014-2017	24.5	Completed
47	Dr. Busi Siddhardha	Attenuation of quorum sensing and biofilm mediated virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by selected phytochemicals and understanding the mechanism of action	SERB	2018-2021	38.81	Completed
48	Dr. Sharmili Shivajirao Jagtap	Study of cellulolytic enzymes from soil microorganisms	UGC	2013-2015	6.0	Completed

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