CURRICULUM VITAE

Name Dr. Pankaj Kumar Rai

E-mail pankajraibhu@gmail.com
Contact no 9452550100, 9131922093

Communication Address H.No.7, Veersavarkar Nagar, Powayan Road,

Chinour, Shahjahanpur- 242001, U.P.
Date of Birth 16th December 1984

Education Qualifications:
Degree Year University/Board Subject Class

Hydrogen production from dairy and

Ph. D (Applied Banaras Hindu University
2013 agro wastes by integrating dark- and
Microbiology) (B. H. U.), Varanasi, India. Awarded
photo- fermentation.

M.Sc Banaras Hindu University First

2009 Applied Microbiology
(B. H. U.), Varanasi, India (91.2 %)
Bundelkhand University, First
B.Sc (H) 2007 Microbiology
Jhansi, U.P, India (77.4 %)
Maths, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, First
XII 2002 CBSE
English (64.6 %)
Maths, Science, Social Science, English, First
X 2000 CBSE
Hindi. (66.8 %)

Professional experience:
Position Duration Place of work Nature of work Sponsor
Asst. 23rd July 2018 to Invertis University, Bareilly, U.P., Teaching & __
Professor present India. Research
Asst. 12th November 2014 Barkatullah University, Bhopal- Teaching & __
Professor to 30th September 462026, M.P. Research
2017
Research 21st August 2014 to Banaras Hindu University (B. H. U.), Teaching & CSIR
Associate 11th November 2014 Varanasi, India Research
Senior 1st April 2013 to 25th Banaras Hindu University (B. H. U.), Research CSIR
Research April 2014 Varanasi, India
Fellow
Senior 1st July 2012 to 31st Banaras Hindu University (B. H. U.), Research MNRE
Research March 2013 Varanasi, India
Fellow
Junior 1st July 2010 to 30th Banaras Hindu University (B. H. U.), Research MNRE
Research June 2012 Varanasi, India
Fellow
UGC- 31st October 2009 to Banaras Hindu University (B. H. U.), Research UGC
Research 30th June 2010 Varanasi, India
Fellow

Total Research experience : 9 Years

Total Research & Teaching experience (Post- PhD): 5 years
Current Projects: Working on isolation, identification and characterization of potential algal spp. for
Biofuels/Biofertilizer/Bioactive compounds production from different niches.
Broad area of specialization: Fermentation Technology, Agricultural Microbiology, Environmental
Biotechnology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Nanobiotechnology.
Area of specialization:
1. Biofuels (Biohydrogen) production from organic wastes using bacteria/cyanobacteria.
2. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (Biofertilizer).
3. Synthesis of value added products through fermentation.
4. Bioprocess optimization.
5. Bioreactor design and operation for production of commercially valuable products.
Memberships:
1. Life member of Biotech Research Society of India (BRSI) -LM 1791.
2. Life member of Asian Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) Society.
Editor/Reviewer:
1. Editorial Board Member of Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology, CPQ Microbiology
Journal and Journal of Energy.
2. Reviewer of various National and International Journals of repute like International Journal of
Hydrogen Energy, Journal of Renewable Energy and Journal of Applied Biology &
Biotechnology.
Awards and honors:
1. Awarded first prize for oral paper presentation in International conference on “New Frontiers In
Biotechnology: Science, Health & Medicine-2016, held at Invertis University, Bareilly, U.P.
India.
2. Awarded CSIR-SRF in direct CSIR-SRF Scheme in April 2013.
3. Awarded best poster presentation award in International conference on “Biotechnology for
better Tomorrow (BTBT-2010)”, held at Dr. B.A.M.University, Aurangabad, MS, India.
4. Awarded UGC research scholarship.
5. Awarded Junior Scientist award at graduation level organized by SBAM, RDV University,
Jabalpur, India.
6. Stood first in Bachelor Degree, at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India.
7. Stood third in Master Degree, at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
8. Played cricket at the regional level.

Fellowships:
Fellowships Duration Sponsor
st th
Research Associate 21 August 2014 to 11 November CSIR
2014
Senior Research Fellow 1st April 2013 to 25th April 2014 CSIR

Senior Research Fellow 1st July 2012 to 31st March 2013 MNRE

Junior Research Fellow 1st July 2010 to 30th June 2012 MNRE

UGC- Research Fellow 31st October 2009 to 30th June 2010 UGC

Trainings:
1. Ten days training at NBAIM – ICAR on the topic “ Bioinformatics in Multi- omics Era: A
Microbial Genomics Perspective”
2. Five months Dessertation work entitled “Synthesis of Gold, Silver & Alloy Nanoparticles using
Lysozyme, their characterisation and to study their antimicrobial properties against B. subtilis
& E. coli at National Chemical Laboratory, Pune.

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Techniques known:
1. Microbiology
Isolation, maintenance and preservation of bacterial cultures from different samples including
environmental samples
2. Molecular Biology
Isolation and purification of genomic DNA, Identification of microorganisms based on 16S
rRNA sequence, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis
(DGGE), Agarose Gel electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE), SDS-
PAGE, 2D Gel electrophoresis.
3. Chromatography
Paper chromatography, Thin layer chromatography (TLC), Gas chromatography (GC), High
pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)
4. Fermentation Technology
Operation of anaerobic, aerobic fermentation processes in batch as well as in continuous mode.
Design, fabrication and operation of different types of bioreactors for H2 in two- step (dark- and
photo- fermentations)
5. Computer knowledge
MS Office; Origin; Statistical methods (DEA, DOE, ANOVA, etc.).
6. Technical write-up
Writing Manuscripts, project proposals and annual reports.

Extracurricular activities:
1. Active and lead participant in the organization of Review meeting for the “Mission Mode
Project on Hydrogen Production through Biological Routes” at Allahabad University, IIT,
Kharagpur, TERI and at JNTU, Hyderabad during 2011 to 2013.
2. Played Cricket as a Captain of School Cricket Team.
3. Participated in scout camp.
4. Selected and participated in the Himnad Galacier trekking programme organized by Kendriya
Vidayalya Sanghatan, New Delhi.
5. Event organizer in school and college annual day functions and other events.

Research papers published: 12 Total Impact Factor: 22.10

1. Manish Kumar, Divjot Kour, Ajar Nath Yadav, Raghvendra Saxena, Pankaj Kumar Rai,
Anurag Jyoti, Rajesh Singh Tomar. 2019. Biodiversity of methylotrophic microbial communities
and their potential role in mitigation of abiotic stresses in plants. Biologia 74 (287) 190-196.
Impact Factor- 0.68.
2. Manish Kumar, Raghvendra Saxena, S. S. Parihar, Pankaj Kumar Rai, R. S. Tomar. 2018.
Molecular Characterization and Phylogeny of Some Cyanobacterial Strains Isolated from Soil
and Fresh Water Ecosystem. Journal of Pure and Applied Microbiology 12 (2), 897-904. UGC
Journal no. 19449. ISSN 0973-7510.
3. Pankaj K Rai, Kishor Shende, Raunak Rai, A Prakash, A Kadier. 2017. In-silico Approach for
Enhanced Photo-fermentative Biohydrogen Production. Trends in Biosciences 10; 6131-6137.
UGC Journal no. 35051. ISSN 0974-8431.

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 4. A Kadier, W Logroño, Pankaj K Rai, M S Kalil, Azah Mohamed, H A Hasan, A A Hamid.
2017. None-platinum electrode catalysts and membranes for highly efficient and inexpensive
H2 production in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs): A review Iranian Journal of Catalysis
7(2); 89-102. UGC Journal no. 62891. ISSN 2252-0236
5. Pankaj K Rai, S.P. Singh. 2016. Integrated dark- and photo- fermentation: Recent advances and
provisions for improvement. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 41, 19957-19971. UGC
Journal no. 22910. Impact Factor- 3.58.
6. Pankaj K Rai. 2016. Recent advances in substrate utilization for fermentative hydrogen
production. Journal of Applied Biology and Biotechnology 4, 59-67. UGC Journal no. 48082.
ISSN: 24557005
7. Shweta Singh, Pankaj K Rai, Rocky Chau, Alok K Ravi, Brett A Neilan, R K Asthana. 2015.
Temporal variations in microcystin- producing cells and microcystin concentrations in two
fresh water ponds. Water Research 69, 131-142. UGC Journal no. 32831. Impact Factor-
6.94.
8. Pankaj K Rai, S.P Singh R.K Asthana & Shweta Singh. 2014. Biohydrogen production from
sugarcane bagasse by integrating dark- and photo-fermentation. Bioresource Technology,
152:140-146. UGC Journal no. 14861. Impact Factor- 5.65.
9. Pankaj K Rai, R.K Asthana & S.P Singh. 2014. Optimization of photo-hydrogen production
based on cheese whey spent medium. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 39: 7597-
7603. UGC Journal no. 22910. Impact Factor- 3.58.
10. Pankaj K Rai, S.P Singh & R.K Asthana. 2012. Biohydrogen production from cheese whey
wastewater in a two-step anaerobic process. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 167 (6)
1540-1549. UGC Journal no. 15918. Impact Factor- 1.75.
11. Pankaj K Rai, S.P Singh & R.K Asthana. 2011. Dairy waste based fermentative H 2 production.
Journal of Microbial world, 13 (2) 207-213. ISSN 0972-1487.
12. Pankaj K Rai, S.P Singh & R.K Asthana. 2011. Prospects of utilizing dairy waste for
biohydrogen production. International Journal of Biotechnology and Biosciences, Vol.1 (3),
263-270. ISSN 2231-0304
Book Chapters: 05
1. Pankaj K Rai, S.P Singh, 2013. Biological production of clean energy: Hydrogen. Chapter 5,
In Recent Advances in Microbiology vol. 2. Editors, S. P. Tiwari, Rajesh Sharma and Rajeeva
Gaur. Nova Science Publishers Inc. New York, USA. pp.55-83. ISBN: 978-1-62808-633-1.

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 2. Manish Kumar, Raghvendra Saxena, R. S. Tomar, Pankaj Kumar Rai. 2017. Plant Interaction
with Methylotrophic Communities Chapter 30, in D.P. Singh et al. (eds.), Plant-Microbe
Interactions in Agro-Ecological Perspectives vol. 1. Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. ISBN:
978-981-10-5813-4.
3. Manish Kumar, Raghvendra Saxena, R. S. Tomar, Pankaj Kumar Rai, Diby Paul. 2018. Role
Of Methylotrophic Bacteria In Climate Change Mitigation Chapter 07, Microbes for Climate
Resilient Agriculture, First Edition. Edited by Prem Lal Kashyap, Alok Kumar Srivastava,
Shree Prakash Tiwari and Sudheer Kumar. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. ISBN: 978-111-92-7592-
3.
4. Abudukeremu Kadier, Yong Jiang, Bin Lai, Pankaj Kumar Rai, Kuppam Chandrasekhar,
Azah Mohamed, Mohd Sahaid Kalil. 2018. Biohydrogen production in microbial electrolysis
cells from renewable resources. Bioenergy and Biofuels vol.1. Editor Ozcan Konur. Taylor &
Francis Group, Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN: 978-135-123068-1.
5. Pankaj Kumar Rai, Abudukeremu Kadier, Manish Kumar, S. P. Singh. 2018. Utilization of
Microalgal Biomass as a Source of Bioenergy. In Role of Photosynthetic Microbes in
Agriculture and Industry, Chapter 7. Editors Keshawanand Tripathi, Narendra Kumar and
Gerard Abraham. Nova Science Publishers, USA. ISBN: 978-153-614-033-0

Chapters in Press: 04
1. Abudukeremu Kadier, Pankaj Kumar Rai. Microbial electrolysis cell (MEC): A versatile
technology for hydrogen, value-added chemicals production and wastewater treatment.
Microbial Electrochemical Technologies. CRC Press and Taylor & Francis Group.
2. Abudukeremu Kadier, Pankaj Kumar Rai. Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs): A promising
and green approach for bioenergy and biochemical production from waste. Bioelectrochemical
Interface technologies, WILEY.
3. Pankaj Kumar Rai, Nitesh Poddar. Role of serine protease in ovarian cancer. Cancer-Leading
Proteases, Editor S.P. Gupta, Elsevier Publisher.
4. Abudukeremu Kadier, Paymen, Pankaj Kumar Rai. Lignocellulose as a renewable carbon
source for the biological synthesis of different enzymes: an overview. WILEY.

Abstract/Paper/Poster presentations: 14
1. Pankaj Kumar Rai. Cultivation of Algae in Municipal wastewater for biomass and biofuel
production. Oral paper presentation in the 58th Annual Conference of Association of
Microbiologists of India (AMI-2017) & International Symposium on “Microbes for Sustainable

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 Development: Scope & Applications” (MSDSA-2017) held at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar
University, Lucknow, U.P. from November 16-19, 2017.
2. Pankaj Kumar Rai; Microalgae as a source of bioenergy. Oral paper presentation in
International conference on Technological Advancements in Environment Management-2017,
held during 1-2 March 2017 at at Department of Microbiology, Career College, Bhopal, M.P.
India.
3. Pankaj Kumar Rai; Fermentative hydrogen production from mixed algal biomass. Oral paper
presentation in International conference on “New Frontiers In Biotechnology: Science, Health &
Medicine-2016, held during 23-24 September, 2016 at Invertis University, Bareilly, U.P. India.
4. Pankaj Kumar Rai; Enhanced biohydrogen production from algal biomass by optimizing pre-
treatment methods. Oral presentation in National conference on ‘Recent advances in Science,
Technology and Healthcare-2015 during 29-30 September, 2016 at Department of Microbiology,
Career College, Bhopal, M.P. India.
5. Pankaj Kumar Rai, Prabhakar Singh, R. K. Asthana, S. P. Singh; Cyanobacteria: an ideal
source for antimicrobial compounds. International conference on Translational Medicine in 21st
Century ‘Stem Cell Transplantation: Current Status’ during 11-14 April, 2015 at Barkatullah
University, Bhopal, M.P.
6. Kajal Singh, Pankaj Kumar Rai, Kishore Shende, Rajesh Khande, Ragini Gothalwal; Hunt of
secondary metabolites: As source of drug. International conference on Translational Medicine in
21st Century ‘Stem Cell Transplantation: Current Status’ during 11-14 April, 2015 at Barkatullah
University, Bhopal, M.P.
7. Pankaj Kumar Rai, S. P. Singh, R. K. Asthana; Biohydrogen production from cellulosic waste
by a novel simultaneous saccharification, filtration and fermentation (SSFF) method. National
conference on ‘Emerging Trends in Biological Sciences’ during 6-7 February, 2015 at
Department of Biotechnology and Biochemistry, Career College, Bhopal, M.P. India.
8. Pankaj Kumar Rai, S. P. Singh, R. K. Asthana; Biohydrogen production from sugarcane
bagasse by a novel simultaneous saccharification, filtration and fermentation (SSFF) method. in
Science and Research Orientation Programme ‘Science and Technology for Human
Development’ during 19-20 December 2014 organized by Department of Applied Chemistry,
UIT, B.U., Bhopal.
9. Pankaj Kumar Rai, Prabhakar Singh, R.K. Asthana; Bioprospecting of cyanobacterial species
from different sources for biofuels production. Symposium on Biotechnology and stress

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 Biology of Algae and Cyanobacteria during 24-26 February, 2016 at Centre of Advanced Study
in Botany, B.H.U., Varanasi-221005, India.
10. Pankaj Kumar Rai, S.P. Singh, R.K. Asthana; Biohydrogen production from Sugarcane
bagasse by integrating dark- and photo- fermentation. International Conference on “Health,
Environment and Industrial Biotechnology: Bio-sangam-2013 during 21-23 November, 2013 at
Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Allahabad, U.P, India.
11. Pankaj Kumar Rai, S.P. Singh, R.K. Asthana; Optimization of photo-hydrogen production
based on cheese whey spent medium. International Conference on “Advances in Biological
Hydrogen Production and Applications (ICABHPA-2012)” during 14-15 December, 2012 at
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.
12. Pankaj Kumar Rai, S.P. Singh, R.K. Asthana; Biohydrogen production from cheese whey
wastewater in a two-step anaerobic process. International Conference “New Horizons in
Biotechnology (NHBT-2011) during 21-24 November, 2011 at National Institute for
Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Trivandrum, India and The Biotech
Research Society, India.
13. Pankaj Kumar Rai, S.P. Singh, R.K. Asthana; Dairy waste-based Fermentative Hydrogen
production. International conference on “Biotechnology for better Tomorrow (BTBT-2010)”,
held during 6-7 February, 2010 at BAMU, Aurangabad, MS, India.
14. Priyanka Singh, Pankaj Kumar Rai, S.P. Singh, R.K. Asthana; Studies on selected osmolytes
in a model cyanobacterium under desiccation; cloning of proline biosynthesizing genes and its
overexpression in Escherichia coli. International Symposium on Phycological Research (ISPR-
2010) during 25-27 February, 2010 at Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu
University (B.H.U) Varanasi, U.P., India.

Referees

1. Prof. S.P. Singh E-mail: asthana.ravi@gmail.com

Department of Botany Mobile no. 9454161038
Banaras Hindu University (B.H.U),
Varanasi-221005, India.
E-mail: spsinghbhu@rediffmail.com 3. Dr. S. Venkata Mohan
Mobile no. 9415352524 Principal Scientist
Bioengineering and Environmental
2. Prof. R. K. Asthana Centre (BEEC)
Department of Botany, Indian Institute of Chemical
Banaras Hindu University (B.H.U), Technology (CSIR-IICT)
Varanasi-221005, India. Hyderabad- 500007. E-mail:
vmohan_s@yahoo.com

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Mobile no. 09849306934

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Declaration
I hereby declare that the above-mentioned information is correct up to my knowledge and I bear the
responsibility for the correctness of the above-mentioned particulars.

Place: Dr. Pankaj Kumar Rai

Date :