The main research focus of the department is to understand the effects of contaminants and environmental stressors on human health and ecosystem function. The Department pursues research on a broad range of topics such as the biodegradation of toxic pollutants, the development of novel molecular tools for the detection of pathogenic bacteria, microbial ecology of contaminated ecosystems, geo-microbiology, soil nutrient cycling, and development of sustainable waste management and agriculture practices. Conventional microbiological tools along with the most advanced molecular tools (metagenomics and metatranscriptomics) are being employed to understand the diversity, distribution, and ecophysiology of archaea in the environment and their implications for public health. The research mission and goals of DEHT possibly identify and understand the key processes that affect public health and the environment, and help the government agencies to evaluate the risk assessment of pollutants. Faculty and students of DEHT seek practical solutions to complex environmental problems by interdisciplinary and integrative approaches.
Anurag Sharm is working as Assistant Professor at NUCSER, Nitte University. During his Ph.D. he studied the stress response of endosulfan on D. melanogaster, a non-target organism, at sub-organismal as well as organismal level. Further, his studies also highlight the potential of D. melanogaster as an alternative animal model for in-vivo assessment of environmental chemical mediated toxicity, which might have relevance to higher organisms. Later, he joined CNRS-Centre de Biologie du Développement, Toulouse, France as a postdoctoral researcher and worked on deciphering the function of the Drosophila hematopoietic niche to maintain blood cell homeostasis. Presently, he is engaged in the following areas-a) Development of an in vivo Drosophila model to study toxicant/radiation induced hematopoietic perturbations and b) Host-Microbe interaction and environmental toxicants.
Doctor of Philosophy (Cellular and Molecular toxicology), CSIR-IITR Lucknow and Jamia Hamdard, 2012
Master of Science (Biotechnology), Jiwaji University, 2005
Cellular and Molecular toxicology
Cellular immune response
Cellular and molecular stress response
DST-SERB Young scientist start-up grant award, 2017
Japan-Asia Youth Exchange program in Science (SAKURA exchange) awardee, 2018
In-charge, Lab Resource Committee, NUCSER
Member Secretary, Institutional committee against sexual harassment, NUCSER
Member, Institutional committee against substance abuse, NUCSER
Book Chapters
All Publications:
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=-TpHINkAAAAJ&hl=en
PhD students: 03 (ongoing) CSIR-RA: 01 (completed) PG students: 07 (completed)
Research projects
Extramural Funding
Intramural Funding:
After competing my Ph.D., I have worked as Research associate and joined NUCSER as Scientist (G-I) in 2019. My research interest includes Infectious Disease Biology (Bacteriology), Antimicrobial Resistance, Food Microbiology and Biopolymers.
UG students: 02 completed, PG students: 03 completed, 02 ongoing; PhD: 2 ongoing
Undergraduate: Basic Microbiology, Medical Microbiology, Good Laboratory Practices
Post Graduate: Food Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Microbial Physiology, Molecular Diagnostics
Extramural
Intramural
My area of research involves the isolation of novel strains of bacteria from ethnomedicinal plants and their application in the degradation process of various contaminants. Further, I also study the safety of the strain isolated and understand if these endophytic bacterial or fungal strains are safe for the environment.
Environmental biotechnology, Bioprocess technology bioremediation of contaminants, oil degradation, and toxicity assessment using biological systems are my areas of experimentation oriented towards contributing to the UN sustainable goal 3; 6;9;11; 15;13, and 14.
The purpose of my research is oriented towards developing sustainable methods to tackle the upcoming environmental problems concerned with pollutants and their toxicity.
AWARD
DST- AWSAR [AUGMENTING WRITING SKILLS FOR ARTICULATING RESEARCH] Topic: "Bacterial Endophytes: Nature's Hidden Battalion against Environmental Pollution"
Fellowship
NITTE TRUST FELLOWSHIP -2015-2018 DBT-BioCARe Women scientist-07-12-2023 (3 years)
• Member of student welfare committee, NUCSER
• Member, Women cell -NUCSER
PhD students: None
PG Students: None
UG Students: 1
Undergraduate- Biosafety and Bioethics, Environmental science
Postgraduate- Environmental and plant biotechnology, Bioprospecting and drug discovery, Bioprocess and fermentation technology, Microbial physiology
Extramural Funding
• DBT-BioCARe- 6th call "Eliciting degradation of contamination of emerging concern (CEC) using a novel endophytic bacterial consortium" 07-12-2023 to 07-12-2026
Intramural Funding
• NUSR-2024