Yes, we shall begin.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia

So I have a bachelor's and master's integrated five years integrated degree in bioengineering and medical nanotechnology. So soon after that. I went on to do my PhD degree. Uh, from Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore. So my pH D topic was. Uh, influence of emerging pollutants on detoxity of. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the marine ecosystem. And I completed my PhD in 2022. And based on my. Publication credentials. I got an opportunity to perfect. From postdoctoral research. Program at. City University of Hong Kong. It was for a. Brief period of two years.

The topic which I worked there was. Aquatic photochemistry of active toxic cyanobacterial. Metabolites.

You mentioned your work with marine ecosystems and emerging pollutants. When you're teaching an introductory class,

So, at City University of Hong Kong, you focused on aquatic photochemistry and toxic cyanobacterial metabolites. When you introduce such specialized topics to undergraduate students, how do you make complex environmental chemistry concepts accessible and engaging for them?

I will start from a basic. Introduction to water ecosystem.

Alright, so you'd begin with the basics of the water ecosystem. Once you've set that foundation, what's one hands-on activity or demonstration you use to help students connect theory to real-world environmental issues?

The organisms which live in that system and how. Pollutant influx.

Okay, so you focus on organisms in the system and pollutant influx. When you teach that, do you have students run any experiments or simulations to actually observe pollutant effects on aquatic life?

Uh, maybe we can involve students to look at the water quality parameters?

The laboratory setup. And then if I have a chance to mentor. Our students.

Right, so you’re thinking about involving students with water quality parameters as a hands-on angle.

Dr., your publication record in aquatic toxicology and environmental risk assessment is quite robust. Given your recent work on cyanobacterial metabolites and nanoparticle toxicity, where do you see the most fundable research directions in your field over the next three years, and which grant opportunities would you prioritize pursuing?

One important factor I'll consider is the pH. Because. I want to. Incorporate my interdisciplinary research experience in environmental. Toxicology and chemistry. And develop a research grant program.

One important factor I'll consider is the pH. Because. I want to. Incorporate my interdisciplinary research experience in environmental. Toxicology and chemistry.

Which I think could be easily fundable.

So you’d focus on pH because it bridges your work in environmental toxicology and chemistry. If you were to build a research group at VIT around this interdisciplinary theme, what would your first steps be to attract both talented students and sustainable funding?

So you'd use pH as a key link and aim to set up an interdisciplinary research grant program. If you had to scale this group to attract major external funding—say, from international agencies or industry partners—what concrete steps would you take in your first year to build credibility and momentum?

Mm-hmm.

I will be initially using the seed grant provided by the university. To develop uh. Basic research. For an initial data. Where I will build up on that initial data. And try to get the grant. From the government institutions such as DST and MOEFCC.

Dr., you mentioned hands-on work with water quality and environmental chemistry. Suppose you were designing a laboratory course at VIT where slides and rote lecture were off-limits, and you had to create an active learning session for 60 students. How would you structure that session to get every student truly engaged with the material?

I will, uh. Uh, involve all these students. With hands on training. With maybe use a simpler Instruments? Guide them in using.

Alright, so you want to get all sixty students using simple instruments in a hands-on setting. When you’ve got a few students who seem disengaged or aren’t participating, what’s your approach to getting them involved and making sure they’re learning as much as the rest?

Grossing instruments. And helping them in measuring the. Parameters and explaining the concepts based on the. Maybe I will approach them and ask them the. Way in which they want. They are interested in learning the concept.

Alright, building on that, let’s shift gears. Accreditation cycles can be demanding — if you joined our department and found that outcome assessment data was inconsistent across courses, how would you approach fixing that?

And if they are? More into the slides. And learning through uh presentation or board. Uh, sorry, I don't get you. Can you repeat the question?

No problem, I'll repeat it. Accreditation cycles can be demanding — if you joined our department and found that outcome assessment data was inconsistent across courses, how would you approach fixing that?

No experience on this. Aspect.

That's fair, not everyone has direct experience with accreditation. But thinking hypothetically, if you had to support a department through one of these cycles, what resources or people would you look to for guidance?

Maybe I will, uh. I pair up with senior professor in the department. And seek his help.

Okay, so you'd actively seek out guidance from a senior faculty member if you were new to accreditation work. Makes sense. Dr., since VIT puts a strong emphasis on mentorship,

Then bringing the solution. For this uh. Problem. I have already had experience in mentoring undergraduate students during my PhD and post docs. So my aim was to. Develop methods for them. As well as analyze help them in analyzing their results.

If a colleague in your department asked you to co-author a paper,

And help in writing the draft manuscript. So. So I could. I would first speak to the colleague and ask him for the data sets.

Alright. Professor, given your research experience in environmental chemistry and toxicology, do you have any ongoing or past industry collaborations that could translate into exposure,

And if I find find the datasets are manipulated and. I will do ask my students to. Performing the. Directly I do not have any collaborations with any. Please but I have some contacts or. Three of my friends working in the industry. I could contact them. And assist my students in getting placed in. Yeah.

Okay, so you don't have formal collaborations, but you do have friends in industry you could reach out to for student placements. Can you give me one concrete example of how you'd actually leverage those industry contacts to create a specific opportunity for a student at VIT?

Maybe I will ask the. Uh, collating in the industry department, uh? To provide a reference letter. To my student at creating. And I will also recommend the students strongly.

Uh, for a position. In the industry.

Okay, let's cover a few core areas for this role, Dr.

Alright, if you were tasked with evaluating student lab work—say, grading a batch of practical notebooks for a Genetics course—what specific criteria would you use to ensure your grading is fair and consistent across the class?

Frankly speaking, I do not have any teaching experience. I just have a. A research experience of two years of postdoc.

Alright, you’ve been up front about your lack of direct teaching experience, which is important to know. But given your time mentoring students during your PhD and postdoc, how would you structure a student research project to make sure the student not only completes the work, but also understands the underlying scientific principles?

I will make sure that the methodology designed is simpler. For the student to complete it on time And and as well as, uh, take part uh And and as well as, uh, take part uh. Maybe I'll provide resources to the student software resources And and as well as, uh, take part uh. Maybe I'll provide resources to the student software resources. Uh and uh, just, uh. Teach them how to analyze the results using. The specific software.

I will make sure that the methodology designed is simpler.

So you’d focus on simplifying the methodology for the student to help them grasp the basics. How would you encourage them to independently analyze their results and not just follow instructions step by step?

And and as well as, uh, take part uh. Maybe I'll provide resources to the student software resources. Uh and uh, just, uh. Teach them how to analyze the results using. The specific software. Plot Plotting the grass And the then. Once the student completes it, I will have a look at it and And the then. Once the student completes it, I will have a look at it and. I will just go into the basics of uh. Do you solve statistics?

Alright, so you'd show them how to use specific software for analysis and provide resources, not just instructions. When you're explaining a complex concept—like a statistical method or a bioinformatics pipeline—to students with very little background, how do you break it down so they actually get it?

Explain it to the students. Help them how those statistics will be helpful in the study. Which we have conducted.

So you’d review their completed work and revisit the basics of statistics with them if needed. Now, you mentioned earlier that you’ve published research—can you describe the process you follow to select a journal for submission and how you assess if your work is a good fit for that journal?

Right, so you'd help students see how statistics apply directly to the research they're doing. Shifting gears for a moment, have you been involved in any industry projects or consultancy work—maybe during your postdoc or through your network—that allowed you to apply your research in a practical, real-world context?

So coming to a first question on. Choosing the publication journal. I will choose a Q1 journal with. Impact factor greater than. 56 and make. Make sure that my work is novel enough so that it gets into. Journal and is published easily. And coming to your second question. What was your second question? Can I? Can you repeat it?

Alright, you said you’d choose a Q1 journal with a high impact factor and make sure your work is novel enough for publication—that’s clear. For the second part, I was asking whether you’ve been involved in any industry projects or consultancy work where you applied your research practically, maybe during your postdoc or through your network?

No, I have not been involved in any industry project. Or consultancy project during my PhD or postdoc. So. Yeah I will try to make. Show that my explanation is much simpler and. Not too scientific. And also try to incorporate. Diagrams and figures into my slides.

No, I have not been involved in any industry project. Or consultancy project during my PhD or postdoc.

Okay, no worries if you haven't had industry or consultancy experience yet. Let's touch on your communication approach—when you present research findings to a mixed audience of specialists and non-specialists, how do you make sure your explanation is structured and clear for both groups?

Which will make my. Slides presentable.

So you’d avoid too much technical jargon and use visuals to help get the message across.

Using visuals definitely helps make slides more engaging. Just to confirm, what was your PhD specialization and which area of research did you focus on during your doctoral work?

And for?

You were asking "and for?" — just to clarify, I’m trying to confirm what you specialized in during your PhD, like was it bioinformatics, cancer genetics, food science, or something else?

My PhD specialization was in environmental toxicology.

Environmental toxicology, got it. Since your background bridges both lab and theory, how do you approach teaching laboratory courses—especially when students are new to complex instrumentation or safety protocols?

I will make sure that the student gets enough training. Uh, before handling the instruments because. Sophisticated instruments. Uh, cost you a lot.

So. So I will make sure that they get. A lot of training before they start using. Instrument.

Right, you want to make sure students have enough training before using expensive or sensitive instruments—that makes sense. When you’re running a theory class, how do you keep students engaged,

So you really emphasize training before students get hands-on, especially with sophisticated equipment. When it comes to evaluating students—say for a practical lab or a theory exam—what's your process for making sure your grading is fair and consistent?

I will make sure that the student. Uh. Return the answers.

Sounds like you want students to return their work, but can you clarify a bit—what steps do you take to ensure that your grading is unbiased and that all students are evaluated by the same standards?

Uh uh, for the questions. And make sure that the concepts are right. I'll make sure that the student answers appropriately to the questions asked. Make sure the concepts are right. And, uh, if. I feel that. The uh. Answers to the questions are right, I will not be biased and. I, like you, don't mind I will make sure that I visit the lab every week and have one or. One meeting.

Uh uh, for the questions. And make sure that the concepts are right. I'll make sure that the student answers appropriately to the questions asked. Make sure the concepts are right. And, uh, if. I feel that. The uh. Answers to the questions are right, I will not be biased and.

So you focus on the correctness of concepts and ensure you’re not biased in your grading—that’s important. For guiding student research projects, how do you support students when they’re stuck or struggling to make progress on their thesis or dissertation?

I will make sure that I visit the lab every week and have one or. One meeting. Every week. For that, uh, the. Student doesn't get stuck. In luck. In his work.

You make a point of regular lab visits and one-on-one meetings for students who are struggling—that hands-on mentorship can be really valuable. Now, regarding your research publications,

Weekly lab visits and regular meetings give students a strong support system. Thinking about your own research, can you name one publication you’re particularly proud of and explain what made it significant in your field?

Publication, I would say is, uh, the. UH publication published in 2019 on microplastics and TA O2 mixture toxicity.

Publication, I would say is, uh, the. UH publication published in 2019 on microplastics and TA O2 mixture toxicity. We just gained a lot of citations and. Was published in the Journal of Athletic Toxicology.

Under the topic. Was new at that time. And a lot of people were not exploring it and. Milli Bandra, one of the first people to work on the mixture toxicity aspect.

A 2019 publication on microplastics and titanium dioxide mixture toxicity—so what was the main takeaway from that study, and how do you see it impacting further research or policy in environmental toxicology?

A publication on microplastics and titanium dioxide mixture toxicity in 2019, and it’s gained a lot of citations—that’s impressive. Shifting gears a bit, have you had any experience working on industry projects or consultancy, maybe applying your toxicology expertise outside academia?

So you were among the first to look at mixture toxicity for microplastics and TAO2, which helped open up a new area of research—definitely a strong contribution. Have you had any opportunities to work directly with industry partners or consult on projects outside academia?

No, mine was, uh, completely laboratory based and I did not get the opportunity to interact with the industry.

Personal for this. Project specifically. And the main findings of the project.

Alright, Professor, we're wrapping up. Is there anything you'd like to ask about the role or the team?

Got it.

Uh, no. No questions.