Biography |
Education:
PhD (Chemical/Biological Engineering; University of Nebraska, NE, USA)
PhD (Fermentation Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Bombay, INDIA)
B Tech (Biochemical Engineering; Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Kanpur, INDIA)
Post-doctoral Research: Bioprocess/Biochemical Engineering (Massey University, New Zealand & University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA)
Employment:
Research Chemical Engineer/Senior Scientist
United States Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service [ARS], Peoria, IL, USA
Adjunct Professor (Biochemical Engineering), University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
Professional Activities:
President/Chair
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Central Illinois, Illinois, USA (2008 & 2009)
American Chemical Society (ACS), Illinois Heartland Section, Illinois, USA (2008)
Editor in Chief
World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology [Springer, The Netherlands, Since 2006]
Book Editor
Biomass to Biofuels [John Wiley & Sons, United Kingdom, 2010]
Associate Editor
Renewable Energy [Biomass] [Elsevier, United Kingdom, 2005 - 2010]
World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology [Springer, 2003-2006]
Editorial Board Member
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology [Springer-Verlag Berlin], 2003-2008
Energy Sources [Taylor & Francis, New York], 2001-Present
World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology [Springer, 2001-2003]
Renewable Energy [Elsevier, 2000-2004]
Professional Membership
Member - American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE); Member - Society for Biological Engineering (SBE, USA); Advisory Board Member (SBE, USA); Past member - American Chemical Society (ACS); Past affiliate member - International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC); and Past member - Bioscience & Biotechnology Society, Japan
Research Collaborations:
Rice University (Houston, TX), University of Illinois (Urbana Champaign, IL), North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC), The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), University of Toledo (Toledo, OH), Bradley University (Peoria, IL), Massey University (New Zealand), Eastern Regional Research Laboratory (ERRL, USDA, Wyndmoor, PA), and Southern Regional Research Laboratory (SRRL, USDA, New Orleans, LA)
Honors/Awards:
Outstanding Service Award, World J Microbiology & Biotechnology, and Springer Science + Business Media, The Netherlands, 2012;
Nominated for James E. Bailey Award (Society for Biological Engineering; SBE, USA), 2013;
Nominated for Biotechnology Progress Award for Excellence in Biological Engineering publication, 2013 (USA);
ChemLuminary Award, American Chemical Society (ACS, USA);
Outstanding Performance Awards, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 2008, 2009, 2011; Nominated for Proctor & Gamble Award (American Society for Microbiology (USA), 2006;
Empire Who's Who list 2003;
European Union proposal reviewer (Systems Biology);
Natural Science & Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada,
Discovery Proposal reviewer;
Cooper Sharples Fellowship, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 1993;
University Grants Committee (UGC) Fellowships, Wellington, New Zealand, 1988, 1985;
University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, Senior Research Fellowship, India, 1982;
UGC, New Delhi, Junior Research Fellowship, 1980.
Publications:
Edited a book on Biomass to Biofuels and published over 120 research papers in international scientific journals. In addition I have authored/coauthored 28 book chapters/review articles, 5 US patent disclosures, one International Energy Agency report, 7 technical reports, and over 90 conference presentations relevant to Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Industrial and Applied Microbiology, biofuels separation, process design and economics, bioenergy, bioreactor design and scale-up, cell immobilization, cell recycle membrane reactors, product recovery and purification, and batch, fed-batch, and continuous fermentations.