Recent Advances in Bio-Energy Research

Dr. Nikhil Gakkhar is Scientist C in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India and is handling Solar Water Pumping program throughout India. Prior to that, he worked at Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy, Kapurthala India and acted as Visiting Faculty for the Masters in Technology program in Renewable Energy at the Dr. BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, India. He was the Project Coordinator for the South Asia Group on Energy (SAGE) US-India energy cooperation and worked closely with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA. He has a keen research interest and expertise in renewable energy like solar thermal, concentrators, hybrid systems, biomass thermochemical conversion, etc. Presently, he has more than 30 international research articles published in SCI journals of high repute, including conferences and book chapters. He has also filed an Indian patent on the innovative solar-concentrating cooling system.

Dr. Sachin Kumar is a Deputy Director in the Biochemical Conversion Division at the Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy, Kapurthala, India. He was a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, USA, for a year. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, India, and has research experience in the biochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels, including bioethanol, biogas, biohydrogen, lignin valorization, etc. He has completed eight research projects and one consulting project. Dr. Kumar has published more than 75 papers in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, papers in conference proceedings, and seven edited books. He has one granted US patent and five filed Indian patents. He has delivered more than 35 invited or plenary lectures and presented more than 75 papers at national and international conferences.

Dr. Anil Kumar Sarma is an MSc Chemistry (1997), M Tech in Energy Technology (2002) and PhD in Energy (2006) with specialization in Bioenergy. He also worked as research associate at IIT Guwahati (2007-08) and visiting researcher at Seikei University, Japan (2008-09). He is currently working as Scientist- E at Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy, Kapurthala, India and has published more than 65 articles in Catalysis, Biofuel, Enzyme and applications; biomass derived catalyst, applications for biofuel synthesis and biomass for activated carbon production for different utilities. He has edited 4 books and 10 book chapters. He has guided over 20 Master's thesis, 6 PhD thesis, and 8 postdoctoral fellows. He has completed several R &D projects on biofuel and catalysis and is currently working on research projects on biomass characterization for power plant applications as a substitute of coal. He is a recipient of outstanding research achievement awards (OIRA 2022) from Oxford Research Awards in the field of Biofuel, Catalysis, and Applications of Biofuels in IC Engine. He is also a visiting faculty at the Centre for Energy and Environment, Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar.

Dr. Neal Graham is an Earth Scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. His research focuses on the interactions between human and water systems through the lens of multisector dynamics and integrated assessment. Additionally, he explores the near- and long-term implications of energy futures across the world and their associated drivers of change. His research interests include integrated assessment modelling, virtual water trade, near-term climate implications, and human-water interactions. Dr. Graham holds a B.S. in Meteorology from Rutgers University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from the University of Maryland, USA.