I'm good. Thank you for asking. Thank you for asking.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

So my name is Sunni Krishnan. I did my bachelors in zoology, chemistry and bioterrorology from Kerala University, then masters in biotechnology from Kochi University of Science and Technology. PhD in cancer nanomedicine and tissue engineering from regional cancer Trivandrum. Soon after I completed So during my PhD, I did part of my PhD in Keyed University, UK. Once I complete my PhD, I joined a scientist B not her position in regenerative medicine and.

Of medical science and technology. During that time I got a position of Western processor in a contact basis in Kerala Agricultural University. I thought students integrated BSc, MSC as well as PhD biology students. Then I got ANR of NPDA fellowship in IIT rookie where I started to do tissue regeneration for type 1 diabetes mellitus where it developed stretchable hydrogen for wound healing. Then 3D bioprinted hydrogels for type 1 diabetes management especially.

Beta cell regeneration. After the completion of NPDA, I got another fellowship in as DMR Fellow in Dalhousie University, Canada. Currently, I'm pursuing continuing my postdoctoral fellowship in Dalhousie University, Canada where I'm doing immunometabolic regeneration.

As well as nanoparticle delivery systems for immunometabolism.

Professor, your academic journey and research pursuits sound impressive. Let us explore specific skills and qualifications pertinent to the role of a Biotechnology/Bioengineering Professor step by step. First, could you elaborate on your expertise in regenerative medicine and how it connects with your current work on immunometabolism and nanoparticle delivery systems?

So as a scientist, I started my work in regenerative medicine, Sri Chitra Institute, Medical Science and Technology, where I develop injected hydrogen for cartilage repair in for the treatment of osteoarthritis. So it is actually immunological disorder, autoimmune disorder. So initially find a regenerative medicine for that disorder. Then IHD Rourke worked on type 1 diabetes medicine which is also an autoimmune disorder.

So in that case also develop 3D bioprint system which can provide beta cells. So beta cell degeneration is one of the key causes of type 1 diabetes. So when we generate 3D bioprinted beta cells, it actually supplement the autoimmune, it decreases the autoimmune disease during the type 1 diabetes mellitus. So currently what I'm doing is immunometabolic based nanotechnology, what generally that is also basic thing is targeting autoimmune disorders as well as cancer tissues.

Where regionality medicine generally used to generate a new organs or tissues after post surgical treatment or in the case of regeneration of type 1 diabetic pancreas.

Thank you, Professor, for detailing your work. It’s clear that your expertise in regenerative medicine spans foundational research and applied innovations like 3D bioprinting and immunological interventions. Let’s transition to another vital aspect of this role. Could you describe how you would approach teaching theoretical and laboratory-based courses in biotechnology or bioengineering to ensure an engaging learning experience for students?

I always prefer interactive class teach teaching sections where most of the most of the theoretical rather than a theoretical sessions more elaborately on practical sections. So generally is an interactive sessions. So the class will start generally with a question. So the question will be having giving an impression to the students why we are going to learn that topic. So first that question will starts from the question the real objectives of the study and then we will be going to the real time issues.

So from the real time issues the class will enter to the what are what all things happened in that particular topic, then what going to happen in the system. Then basically in practical sessions I will be giving preliminary what I will demonstrate the experiment. I will ask them to do hands-on, then the same experiment in the real time world application, what all things we can imply so that we can do this particular experiment in a real time application. And also I will try to incorporate those particular practical section into a project in.

Semester so that when the semester is completed, one publication can come out of the class due to their practical sessions or research which is around a particular topic. That is my major aim. Another thing like foundation, I will check the foundation based on small test like small clusters. Very many cases will be conducted. Debates will be conducted between the groups of students so that I can find out how they know about the topic. So this will be the.

Basic method by which I will incorporate the teaching as well as interaction among the students.

That is a comprehensive and student-focused teaching strategy, Professor. Your emphasis on interactive learning, problem-based teaching, real-world applications, and fostering research through practical sessions would certainly motivate students and build their foundational and applied knowledge effectively. Let’s proceed to another critical responsibility for a faculty role: guiding student projects and research endeavors. Could you share an example of a research project or mentorship experience where you played a key role in guiding students toward meaningful outcomes?

Already my experience as a poster I gained an oriented different PhD as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students projects. So majorly my focus will be on development of liquid nanoparticles. For aging, age associated with diseases, especially for cancer therapy, as well as type 1 diabetes.

So the students will be encouraged welcome their ideas related to this lipid nanoparticles as well as metabolic engineering so that they can bring up the study, bring up the issues. So first they will I will ask the students to bring some research questions from the question I will I will ask them to make hypothesis. From the hypothesis, I will be creating a methodology. So then we will make group will be there from Big Tech M Tech MSC as well as from PhD. Candidates, I will make some groups where they will be following this methodology, getting the data. They will analyze this hypothesis, will check whether it says a null hypothesis, then they'll go for an alternative hypothesis. Then they try to find out solutions for the research problem. So basically the overall thing will be student will be getting some output from their practical sessions or the research projects. So I'll be guiding them basically by demonstration followed by their hands on experience.

If it is inadequate, then I will be contacting some experts to give much more expertise in this particular technology or particular experiments and basically basic processes will be around lipid nanoparticles, tissue regeneration as well as regenerative medicine.

So my evaluation assessment will be in three sessions. One session will be purely on theory. So whatever is there in the main text that will be one of the evaluation. Second evaluation is will be based on practical assessment then generally what they have learned from that for their practical applications or practical experiments what they have done. Third will be generally application based assessments will be there. So in that measure every. Pass. I will give a problem research problem and ask them to solve the research problem in such a way that each student starts to think about what they have to learn in that particular research problem. So 3 assessment will be there. So based on these three assessment I can score each student and each assessment will give different categories to different students. Some will be very good in academic, some will be very good in research, some will be very good in assessing the issues problems especially industrial oriented issues. So I can get 3 assessment based on that assessment I can do that one.

It's evident, Professor, that you adopt a structured and collaborative approach to mentoring students. By combining hypothesis-driven research, structured methodologies, and interdisciplinary teamwork, you ensure not only academic learning but also tangible outcomes like publications and solutions to scientific challenges. Next, let’s discuss your experience in student evaluation and managing exam-related responsibilities. Could you share how you ensure fairness and consistency in evaluating students while maintaining high academic standards?

Also, I have an experience as an examiner for Kerala Girls University when I was a faculty in there. So I know how to conduct the exam and I know how what is a formal assessment methods. So I'm trying to strictly follow the rules and regulation of VAT for conducting the exams for practical sessions. Apart from that, during my routine classes, I will be having some formal assessment especially based on the research problems. So those students will be more towards the academics as well as research and they will be more towards their opportunities. So what?

Opportunities they will get once they complete their course. So they should be aimed for their job opportunities also. So I will be making the assessment in such a way they will be targeted towards the job from their from their initial years onwards. So that will be the method of assessment in those and I will try to maintain a fair method by which I will categorize the students based on their performance. I will give a assistance to those who are weak in certain topics or certain suggestions. I will give a special class special care to those students. I will try to make it all.

Equal in front of my class.

Your

Thank you, Professor. It is clear that you adopt a holistic and structured approach to student evaluation, integrating theoretical understanding, practical applications, and problem-solving while ensuring fairness and inclusivity. Your commitment to aligning assessments with career readiness and providing additional support for students in need demonstrates a thoughtful and student-centric perspective. Let’s now delve into your research contributions. Could you highlight your experience publishing in reputed journals, focusing on the impact and scope of your work?

So I have 40 plus publications out of his 35 is Q1 journal publications citation of 600 plus and last five, five years it's 500 plus citations which are Google age index of 15 is there.

And all the publications are in a reputed international journals. Only one National Journal remaining every 39 is considered to be International Journal publication. Only two review remaining. Everything is research articles. 7 patents fight and two submit out of seven pay submitted three final response.

Report has been received and one of the bulletin was published in Society of Material Science under Bach UH Mumbai.

And a different around 20 plus first order conference proceedings. Are there other multiple proceedings are there Apart from these, I, I was part of I, I served as scientific officer as an administrative role also. So these are the major research contributions. Apart from this, I was also resource scientist in super good Nano Private Limited and also act as a social coordinator.

For some industrial collaborations.

And most of my research focused on tissue regeneration or regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and immuno nanotechnology.

Thank you, Professor. Your prolific publication record, citations, patents, and significant contributions to both academic and industrial research underscore your expertise and commitment to advancing the field. It is also noteworthy how your research spans fundamental and applied domains, merging tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and immuno-nanotechnology to address pressing biomedical challenges. Given your expertise, let’s focus on your experience with industry projects or consultancy. Could you elaborate on a specific collaboration or consultancy project, detailing your role and its outcomes?

So I was π for one sponsor project under ANRF, Anderson Research Foundation, it was PA as an PDF, as a consultancy project, I was research scientist in Super Good Nano Private Limited. So as a part of the company, we have some products. One is bio lens. The contact lens base is prepared for silk fiber. For diabetic retinopathy, another one is an edible coating.

Especially for preparation foods. So these are the major products of that company. So I was one of the inventor of that particular product. Apart from this, we have recently developed one bio patch which is kept in the mouth for the treatment of xerostomia. These are the three products under that company. So these projects I was the lead role in developing these. These products I had, I got the patents especially I published the patents. So we are actually trying to make.

Cricket, industrial collaborations especially I'm handing over this patent to different industries because it is under TLR 4, so we have to make it much more industrial grade. So the company is trying to make it much more industrial grade by different collaboration as well as large scale fabrication technologies has been implied for that one as well as Electrospin materials is also under scrutiny in that particular company. These are the major things. Another company I am research coordinate is Arctic Biotech Private Limited. In that company the consult.

Things like that. They will be having external projects especially these directly into microbiology experiments. So my expertise is to develop nanoparticles as well as tissue regenerating patches for microbial for antibacterial production, antibacterial effects. These are the major things. So these are two consultancy projects I worked and both are private limited companies. One is under IoT Rourke, another one is actually a private owned companies. And apart from this, there is another company in Canada, it's immune rich. So right now.

We are working on that one like product development in Immune Touch in Dalhousie University where we'll be developing, we are starting to develop a new lipid nanoparticles for the treatment of aged cancer population. So these are the three consultancy projects.

Thank you, Professor. Your industry collaborations reflect both innovation and translational impact. From inventing biomedical products for diabetic retinopathy and xerostomia to advancing antibacterial materials and lipid nanoparticle therapies for aged cancer populations, your ability to bridge academic research and industrial application is commendable. Let us now verify your Ph.D. specialization. Could you confirm how your doctoral work aligns with the requirements of biotechnology and bioengineering, especially in the context of regenerative medicine or therapeutic advancements?

So I did my PhD in Biotechnology award under Kerala University in Regional Cancer, Detroit. So my work was focused on immunomodulatory polysaccharide based biomaterial systems where we developed metal nanoparticles for manufacturing, imaging, drug delivery, cell separation and photothermal therapy for chemoresistant cancers. Apart from that, my second section was the same polysaccharide which is isolated from tamarindous indica.

To develop electrospensed scaffold as well as Lyophilus scaphoid 4 cancer drug delivery and the same system we used with stem cells for regeneration after post-surgical therapy. So once we made the tumor, we'll remove the tumor and we'll place a scaffold which contains stem cells which regenerates and that forms a new particular tissues. That's a basic idea. So in the these two chapters are the major portion of my PhD. So my major PhD focused on therapeutic applications of immunomodulatory polysaccharide based metal.

Because and 2nd project is based on the polysaccharide based electrospun lyophilized scaffolds for regenerative medicine as well as drug deliveries. These are the major projects and the primary objective is to use the immunomodulation properties of polysaccharide in the therapy that is a basic idea of the system. Apart from this, we have studied some molecular aspects of these polysaccharide also.

Thank you, Professor. Your doctoral work clearly aligns with the specialization requirements, showcasing a strong foundation in both therapeutic advancements and regenerative medicine. Your focus on immunomodulatory polysaccharide-based systems for cancer therapy, tissue regeneration, and drug delivery demonstrates a thorough integration of biotechnology and bioengineering principles. This concludes the required verifications of your skills and expertise. I will proceed now. One moment.

Sorry to interrupt, we're down to the last 5 minutes.

To begin, Professor, could you share an example of a foundational biotechnology or bioengineering concept that you particularly enjoy teaching and why?

Nano biotechnology that will be including mostly tissue regenerative medicine, how the hydrogels can be synthesized, What are the biopolymeric nanoparticles? What are the biopolymeric hydrogels? What are the applications of these nanoparticles? So those things. So I'll be having a core selection course of immunology, antibioticology and elective courses of nanobiatrology and tissue engineering. Can I can teach those to those 4 subjects for the students?

Basically, I would like to teach animal bar technology, immunology, immunology and nanobiatrology courses which I already thought for my previous faculty positions. I have done especially animal cell culture, immunology, immuno, nanotechnology especially related to antigen, antibody interaction, laser vessel blocking, PCR those how we can implement the nanoparticles in that one and.

Thank you, Professor. It’s clear you have a rich background in teaching advanced concepts like nanoparticle applications, antigen-antibody interactions, and tissue engineering. Those sound highly relevant and valuable courses for students in this field. Let’s now proceed to the next part.

Professor Unnikrishnan, I see you've engaged in some significant research, such as the development of bio-engineered implants for managing Type I Diabetes Mellitus under Prof. Gopinath Packirisamy. Could you walk me through the core objectives and methodologies of this project? For a classroom setting, how would you adapt such a complex topic to resonate with undergraduate students who may have limited foundational knowledge in nanotechnology?

So first I will just ask them like do you know about diabetes mellitus? So generally we we want glucose for size but in bloodstream when glucose increases automatically we will have a disorder like diabetes melt assistant. But there can be two causes of diabetes Melt One there is already insulin there but it is not active that is type 2 diabetes and there is one type of diabetes where insulin is not produced and that diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes. So we are focusing on type 1 diabetes where there is no insulin and that is due to the pancreatic degeneration. So what we can do we want a new pancreas or new pancreatic cell that start to generate insulin. So what is my objective is to generate a new pancreas which is functional but it is not easily possible we can directly implanted pancreas. So we want a support to implant the pancreas. So what we generally do we take some cells we incorporate.

To the particular hydrogen or a polymer that polymer can be placed over body. This cell starts can start really easily and those cells should be pancreatic cells. So how the pancreas cells can be formed, we can take stem cells. So what are stem cells? Stem cells are typically the differentiating potential cells. So that can be converted to pancreatic cells. So we will incorporate stem cells into the polymer. We place the polymer with cells into our body, they start to release the insulin that can be a.

QFF type 1 type is Wellness.

It seems you're approaching the problem with a comprehensive method, focusing on polymer-based scaffolds and stem cell differentiation for creating functional pancreatic tissue. Your explanation highlights both the biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine aspects of your project. Now, shifting this nuanced approach to a classroom setting, how would you ensure that undergraduate students could grasp the interdisciplinary concepts—such as stem cell properties or polymer applications—without oversimplifying the depth of the science? Could you share an example of a teaching strategy or tool you'd use?

So if I want to teach nanoparticle or nano drug delivery, what I will do is I will say you just think of a peace launch, very peaceful lunch. You just think of our board is very peaceful. Suddenly a war comes.

At that time, to reduce the war, some army people came, they will fight, they will destroy the particular enemy, try to destroy the enemies. But the problem is the enemy will fight against the particular army people. So what we can do? We can bring tankers in the tankers we can. I ask the army people to sit, then fight against enemy so that that are people are protected inside the tank and enemy can be killed. So this is a situation.

And then what happens for the war? War automatically comes automatically. The peaceland becomes very violent.

Just think of since science, think of a peaceful healthy body and suddenly a war come that is a cancer.

This coming we are trying to kill the cancer using the army people. There's those are chemotherapy drugs, radiation, surgery, those are the methods by which we are killing the cancer. But what happens the cancer will try to overcome these therapies. Then next what we can do, what we have to protect the particular drugs, we have to protect the key models. What we can do we have to make a tank and that particular tanker is nanoparticles. So we can encapsulate these drugs in nanoparticles and.

Then we can we can send them to the warland. What happens? Nanoparticles slowly will come. It starts to release the particular army to the cancer. It starts to decrease automatically. Warland will become baseline. That means that cancer patient will become an healthy individual. This is the way of nanoparticle based drug delivery system.

I will try to do first a small quiz. It will be like a five question quiz. Quizzes will be there on the next class where I will ask them to just go think about the fact and come back. Then next class I will ask to have a 5 five question twist. Once they get the quiz, they will get a concept. So once they get the concept.

Your analogy of the warland and tankers to explain nanoparticle-based drug delivery is a creative strategy for teaching a complex concept. By anchoring the scientific details with a relatable scenario, you're making the topic more accessible for students who might otherwise find the technical details overwhelming. To refine this further, how would you evaluate whether students truly understand this analogy? Would you use group discussions, conceptual quizzes, or practical demonstrations to assess their grasp of the concept?

What I will ask them to make the quickest, each group can make their own quiz, bring the quiz, then I will just take out the questions from each quiz, make a quiz portion, then ask them to all the class can be can be involved in that quiz. So that comprehensively they will be undergoing each topics and they will be understanding each and every topic themselves. Finally they will be having a comprehensive assessment.

I will give a small topic on the nanotechnology and ask them to have a small discussion. Especially I will just make small small groups. Then each group will be giving each nanoparticle like gold nanoparticle, super nanoparticle and ask them to read the basics of that particular nanoparticle, have a small discussion on that one. After the small discussion, I will be handling A comprehensive assessment.

Your approach of incorporating iterative quizzes, group discussions, and culminating in student-created quizzes is an excellent way to engage learners actively. Encouraging peer-to-peer teaching through group work and collaborative quiz creation not only enhances comprehension but also empowers students to take ownership of their learning. To close this section, how do you see this teaching method preparing students for higher-level research or interdisciplinary applications in fields such as biotechnology or cancer research?

Time is up! Ending the interview now.