Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Dr. Sridhar Pilli presently holding the Assistant Professor in the Water and Environmental Division of the Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India. His research interests include Water/wastewater treatment, life cycle analysis, Solid waste management, Biodiesel, Bio-plastic, Bio-flocculants production, bio-energy production from wastewater, wastewater sludge, and organic waste.

Dr. Pilli has authored several technical publications in peer reviewed Journals with high impact factor. He has more than 10 publications with citations more than 1000 that includes International journals, technical notes and conference proceedings. He has 6 books published in Elsevier's and ASCE. He has delivered several expert talks at different technical forums organized nationally and internationally. He developed a decision support system model (based on life cost analysis) to facilitate the decision makers, policy makers, municipalities, and engineers in adjudicating a pre-treatment/treatment technology for a wastewater treatment plant. He is serving on Editorial board for various journals. He also served as Advisory Committee member for various international conferences. Puspendu Bhunia is presently holding the Associate Professor position at the School of Infrastructure, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, India. His research interests includes sustainable natural treatment technologies of wastewater, nutrient removal, and green technologies for waste remediation.

Dr. Bhunia has authored several technical publications in SCI journals, He has more than 50 publications with h-index=20 that includes International journals, book chapters, technical notes and conference proceedings. He has delivered several expert talks at different technical forums organized nationally and internationally. Dr. Bhunia's research achievement has been receiving many academic honors, including best practice oriented paper award, ASCE. Dr. Bhunia is principal and life member of several professional bodies and organizations including GIEES, USA. He is also serving as Associate Editor of JHTRW, ASCE apart from playing an active role of reviewer for more than 30 international peer reviewed journals. Dr. Vinay Kumar Tyagi is a Scientist D in the Environmental Hydrology Division of the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, India. His research interests include energy-efficient wastewater treatment systems, sludge and solid waste management, and health related water microbiology. Dr. Tyagi has over 100 international publications, with more than 8,000 citations, as well as co-editing or co-authoring 8 full books and 42 book chapters. He was listed in the Top 2% of Scientists worldwide (Stanford University / Elsevier). Dr. Tyagi is Management Committee Member of the International Water Association (IWA) Sludge Management Specialist Group (represent South Asia Division), and Anaerobic Digestion Specialist Group. He is an editorial board member for several international journals and a lead editor of several special issues. Dr. Tyagi has extensive international research experience and collaboration in Norway, Japan, Singapore, Spain, and Taiwan in the domains of wastewater treatment, sludge pre-treatment, and biomass to bioenergy recovery.

Prof R. D. Tyagi is an internationally recognized Professor of Biochemical Engineering and Chief Scientific Officer of BOSK Bioproducts. Prior to joining BOSK, Dr. Tyagi served as Professor for 36 years and Senior Canada Research Chair on Value Added Products From Wastes for 18 years at the University of Quebec, INRS-ETE, Canada. He is a member of the Hall of Excellence of University of Quebec and a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts; Academician, European Academy of Sciences & Arts. Prof. Tyagi is responsible for BOSK's scientific vision and the establishment of its various technological initiatives. He is a global leader on developing research in water/wastewater treatment, wastewater sludge treatment/disposal, bioconversion of wastes into value added products (biopseticides, bioplastics, biodiesel, industrial enzymes). Prof. Tyagi has authored 20 books, 139 book chapters, 383 peer reviewed articles, 66 conference proceedings, 9 patents, 62 invited conferences and plenary, 252 other conference presentations, 22 research reports, 118 gene bank submissions and has chaired many sessions in national and international conferences. He also established a fermentation/bioprocessing pilot with a project cost of 10 million dollars to cater to the needs of industries and universities studying scale-up processes for various technologies. He has served on the boards of several professional organizations and on the panels of several granting agencies including the International Water Association where he served as a specialist on 'Appropriate Technology for Developing Countries'. He is currently on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Association on Water Quality. He has also supervised 21 M.Sc. and 70 Ph.D. students. Prof. Tyagi has experience working with the pharmaceuticals industry. He has also studied scale-up of bioprocesses which include Bacillus thuriengensis based biopesticides, immobilized cell technology for ethanol production, solid state production of enzyme pectinase. He is Associate Editor of ''Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic & Radioactive Waste Management- Am.Soc.Civil Engineering'' and serves on the editorial board of ''Process Biochemistry'' and Bioresource Technology. His research on bioconversion and bioprocessing to value added products has been recognized internationally and has received more than 30 National and International Awards. Prof. Jonathan Wong is currently a Professor in the Department of Biology at the Hong Kong Baptist University, and Director of the Institute of Bioresource and Agriculture, and Sino-Forest Applied Research Centre for Pearl River Delta Environment and Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre. He is also the Executive Director of Earth Tech Consultancy Co. Ltd. and Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre Certification Ltd. Prof Wong has been working in the area of solid waste management with specialization in bioconversion of organic wastes using innovative composting and anaerobic digestion technology especially in the field of sustainable food waste treatment and conversion technologies for the production of bio-methane, compost etc. Over the years, he has received over HK$150 millions of research funding and published over 400 SCI publication and conference proceedings, 6 Books and 11 research patents with citation of > 10100 and H-index of 58. Professor Wong is an Academician of European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and fellow of Institute of Bioresource Association and Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Profession. Jonathan was bestowed with Medal of Honours by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2011 and appointed as Justice of Peace in 2014 for his service and contribution to the Environment. Professor Ashok Pandey is currently Distinguished Scientist at the Centre for Innovation and Translational Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India and Executive Director (Honorary) at the Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability - India. Formerly, he was Eminent Scientist at the Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing, Mohali and Chief Scientist & Head of Biotechnology Division and Centre for Biofuels at CSIR's National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum. His major research and technological development interests are industrial & environmental biotechnology and energy biosciences, focusing on biomass to biofuels & chemicals, waste to wealth & energy, industrial enzymes, etc.

Professor Pandey is Adjunct/Visiting Professor/Scientist in universities in France, Brazil, Canada, China, Korea, South Africa, and Switzerland and also in several universities in India. He has ~1425 publications/communications, which include 16 patents, 90 books, >700 papers and book chapters, etc with h index of 105 and ~49,000 citations (Goggle scholar). He has transferred several technologies to industries and has done industrial consultancy for about a dozen projects for Indian/international industries.

Professor Pandey is the recipient of many national and international awards and honours, which include Highest Cited Researcher (Top 1% in the world), Clarivate Analytics, Web of Science (2020, 2019 & 2018); Top scientist in Biotechnology (#1 in India and #8 in the world), Stanford University world ranking (2020); Fellow, World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies?(2020); Fellow, Indian Chemical Society (2020); Distinguished Scientist, VDGOOD Professional Association, India (2020); Distinguished Professor of Eminence with global impact in the area of Biotechnology, Precious Cornerstone University, Nigeria (2020); IconSWM Life-time Achievement Award 2019, International Society for Solid Waste Management, KIIT, Bhubaneshwar, India (2019); Yonsei Outstanding Scholar, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea (2019); Life-Time Achievement Award from the Biotech Research Society, India (2018); Life-Time Achievement Award from Venus International Research Awards (2018), Most Outstanding Researcher Award from Career360 (2018), Life-Time Achievement Award from the International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (2017); Fellow, Royal Society of Biology, UK (2016); Felow, International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (2016); Academician of European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Austria (2015); Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India (2012); Fellow, Association of Microbiologists of India (2008); Honorary Doctorate degree from Univesite Blaise Pascal, France (2007); Fellow, International Organization of Biotechnology and Bioengineering (2007); Thomson Scientific India Citation Laureate Award, USA (2006); Fellow, the Biotech Research Society, India (2005); UNESCO Professor (2000); Raman Research Fellowship Award, CSIR (1995); GBF, Germany and CNRS, France Fellowships (1992) and Young Scientist Award (1989), etc.

Professor Pandey is Founder President of the Biotech Research Society, India (www.brsi.in); Founder & International Coordinator of International Forum on Industrial Bioprocesses, France (www.ifibiop.org), Chairman of the International Society for Energy, Environment & Sustainability (www.isees.in), Editor-in-chief of Bioresource Technology (http://ees.elsevier.com/bite/), Honorary Executive Advisor of Journal of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (www.jees.in), Journal of Systems Microbiology and Biomanufacturing (https://www.springer.com/journal/43393), Journal of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (http://neerijese.org/editorial-board/), Subject Editor, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, India (https://www.springer.com/life+sciences/journal/40011).