Human Microbiome in Health and Disease - Part A

Prof. Bhabatosh Das is a leading microbiologist and currently serves as a Professor at the BRIC-Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad. With a distinguished career in microbial genetics and functional genomics, he heads the Functional Genomics Laboratory, where his team focuses on the development of human microbiome-based biotherapeutics for metabolic disorders and strategies to combat extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacterial infections by re-sensitizing resistant pathogens.

Prof. Das holds an M.Tech. in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, and earned his Ph.D. in Microbial Genetics from the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Kolkata. He further expanded his research portfolio through postdoctoral training at the CNRS-Institute of Integrative Biology for the Cell, France, where he specialized in microbial genomics and host-pathogen interactions.

His scientific contributions have earned national and international recognition. He was elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, and also a Fellow of the West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology. In acknowledgment of his impactful work, he has been awarded two prestigious international fellowships, including one from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), funded by the Government of Japan.

Prof. Das has an extensive research output, with over 160 peer-reviewed publications, two edited books, and more than nine Indian patents to his credit. His scholarly work spans a range of topics including antimicrobial resistance (AMR), host-microbiome interactions, and functional genomics, and has contributed significantly to shaping the understanding of microbiome-based interventions in health and disease.

In recognition of his outstanding research in the life sciences, Prof. Das received the SR-National Bioscience Award for Career Development (2023) from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India—one of the highest national honors for scientists in the field of biosciences.

His current research focuses on microbial genomics to elucidate the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance and the development of next-generation biotherapeutics. Through translational research, he aims to bridge the gap between fundamental science and clinical application, addressing critical public health challenges such as multidrug resistance and metabolic disorders.

Prof. Das continues to inspire the scientific community through his dedication to excellence in research, mentorship, and innovation in translational microbiology and biotechnology.

Prof. Vijai Singh is currently serving as Head of the Department of Biosciences, School of Science and Dean (Research & Innovation) at Indrashil University, Rajpur, Mehsana, India. Prior to this, he held the position of Associate Professor in the same department at Indrashil University. He has also served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology at the Institute of Advanced Research, Gandhinagar, and in the Department of Biotechnology at the Invertis University, Bareilly, India. Earlier of his career, Prof. Singh worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Synthetic Biology Group at the Institute of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Paris, France and at the School of Energy & Chemical Engineering at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, South Korea. He earned his Ph.D. in Biotechnology in 2009 from the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Uttar Pradesh Technical University, Lucknow, India. His doctoral research focused on the development of molecular and immunoassays for the diagnosis of Aeromonas hydrophila. Prof. Singh’s research interests lies in the design and construction of novel biosynthetic pathways for production of medically and industrially important biomolecules. His laboratory is also actively engaged in developing CRISPR-Cas systems for gene knock out, knock in, gene regulation and diagnostic. With over 15 years of research and teaching experience, his areas of expertise include synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, bioinformatics, microbiology, and industrial microbiology. He has an extensive academic record, with over 110 articles, 89 book chapters, 26 books and 3 patents to his credits. Prof. Singh has received number of prestigious awards, including the Bioclues Innovation, Research and Development Award (2023) from the BIOCLUES Society, the Vice Chancellor's Best Research Award (2023) from Indrashil University, and the Agathiyar Chemical Biology Award (2023) from the Society of Chemical and Synthetic Biology. At Indrashil University, he currently serves as chairman of the Board of Study, and is a member of the Academic Council of Indrashil University. He also holds the position of the Member Secretary of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC) at the university. Dr. Singh is actively involved in national and international scientific advisory roles.