Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia

So promise to Doctor Shailaj. I'm working at the principal. The scientist at the I mean. Provision for research and innovation. My research work focuses on translational. Our diagnostic devices development. And during the last four years, I have secured. A 1.8 crore extramural funding. From different government organizations of India. Namely PBT, DST, ANRF and IKS. My I also focus my also focuses on. Apart from publications which I have published in high impact journals. I have also published patents. And my work that. Devices are going for commercialisations. All my research work that is focused on translational diagnostic methods. A point of care. That uh. Aligns with the societal dedute problem that the society is facing. Like I'll discuss some of my devices like I have developed a device for acute pancreatitis detection. I've developed a device. When a person is having a. Abdominal pain. He can easily like within a minute he can detect whether the device is. Due to abdominal pain. Pain is due to pancreatitis, gastritis or any other ailment. As ADA patented and I'm taking now my, I have received a fund of 80,00,000 from. An Arab to take this project for commercialization. Second project which I have received from DBT is a. For screen anemia. Anemia, which is a very important and very common. Problem in India. And I have received a 30,00,000 grant from. For this and they have also like given an impact that this can help in the the. The national campaign. Which is going on in India the. So I'm work also working on that and like this I have made the devices for food safety and other. Like a team. So this is the work which I am. Now doing what with my?

Alright, Dr., you mentioned developing point-of-care diagnostic devices that address real societal needs. What aspect of teaching—whether theory or lab work—do you find most rewarding when sharing these innovations with students?

Yeah, yeah, very, very rewarding. They've got students when they speak about my devices, the students so very keen. In them and because I'm.

Yeah, yeah, very, very rewarding. They've got students when they speak about my devices, the students so very keen. In them and because I'm. Real-world problems. And such are not basic.

You said students get really keen when you talk about your devices—can you give me an example of a class or lab where a student surprised you with an insight or question about one of your diagnostic tools?

They have the product, they have the potential to go.

Okay, you said students are keen because you connect your devices to real-world problems.

Dr., your PhD thesis focused on developing a novel, low-cost image-based diagnostic method. How did you go about simplifying that research so undergraduate students could grasp its importance and technical details?

Yeah, I.

You started to answer but stopped short—can you walk me through how you introduced your thesis topic to undergraduates, maybe with an example of an exercise or analogy you used?

Yes, yes, yeah.

Okay, sounds like you have a method for introducing complex topics, but I'm looking for a concrete example. Can you recall a time when you used a simple analogy or hands-on experiment to help undergraduates understand your image-based diagnostic work?

So like my thesis, during my thesis I have developed a novel low cost or diagnostic method which is not using. Yes Sir I have. Like once I have showed I like. I'll say that in the Medical College I have like a second and. 4th year students they had volunteered in. The search was about. Uh uh doing their blood grouping. So I have developed a device in which I will be checking the blood groups of a. Student or anyone. A minute so the students need to there is a device. I'm size the device.

And the students need to just add a drop of blood in it and wash it under tap water. So when by when I watch. And then washing it under tap water. Immediately you'll get to know. What is your blood growth so. Students who have volunteered who have volunteered here. Yeah yeah students are very interested in how it is showing the device so I I make them understand the principle behind it. I made them understand that I'm. I'm immobilized and I'm bodies. There are specific antibodies in 230 devices and the RB.

Alright,

Okay, you explained how you helped students understand the principle behind the device, especially the use of immobilized antibodies and their reaction. When you walked them through that,

The antibiotic your blood. Which has.

Alright, so you made the principle clear by walking students through how the antibodies in your device interact with blood. When you gave that explanation, did students grasp the concept right away, or did you need to use any analogies or demonstrations to help them understand?

Yeah, I.

You mentioned students just needed to add a drop of blood, wash it, and immediately see their blood group. When you explained the science—immobilized antibodies and antigen reactions—did you use any analogy or visual aid to help those who struggled with the concept, or did hands-on practice do the trick?

Yes yes I am I like short. How to do it and how to watch it some of them are watching very rigorously so I? Then if you watch it very dangerously, the bound the antigen antibody coagulation might get merged. And so some of the problems were there so I showed that. And some of the medto students are also of the knowledge they had like they were thinking the group was different so when they were when they checked it with my device they came to know that they ever have. Translator. So I showed them that whatever they have told, it is not matching with the what with. Uh so so but some some are convinced but some they went back to the medical hospital and they get it tested from the lab and. Ultimately my device, whatever it was showing, uh, it came out to be more efficient than. What they had. An only job.

Given your experience developing low-cost diagnostic devices, where do you see the most fundable research directions over the next few years? What kinds of grants or external funding would you pursue to support and scale your work at VIT University?

So the. The funded. I would go for translational. How old are you translational results? And I'll go for. Hello picking. To a a more affordable. And low cost or low cost diagnostics so that it is more. Especially for further. Would look for uh there's? Government is there.

Alright, your device-based blood grouping exercise clearly got students engaged. Suppose you couldn't use any slides or traditional lecture notes—just the actual device and the students in the room. How would you structure that session to keep all 200 students actively involved, not just the volunteers?

No you. I would. You know, like. Very good not.

You said you'd keep it very good, but I'm not hearing a concrete plan. If you had to run this session without slides, what would you actually do to make sure every student stays engaged and learns the science behind the device—not just the volunteers?

Yeah I will I will. I want to ask. Students what what are the problem.

Right, so you’d start by asking students about the challenges they’re encountering with the device and use their responses to guide the session. That’s a practical way to keep everyone involved. Let’s pivot—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?

I will ask. For their like. Tape.

You’d ask for their tape—can you clarify what you mean by that? I’m looking for a practical step: if you saw inconsistent outcome assessment data across courses, what would be your first move to standardize and improve the process?

Yes.

You said yes, but I need something more concrete. If you noticed assessment data wasn’t consistent, what would be your first step—would you meet with faculty, review sample assessments, or try something else?

I love get to. To interact with. Are different to find out.

Okay, so you’d try to interact with different faculty to find out what’s going on. What would you do if you realized some colleagues weren’t collecting outcome assessment data at all, while others had detailed records? How would you bring everyone onto a consistent standard?

You are students. They are I'll give uh like uh there's. I was like a time.

Let's consider a real scenario. Imagine a student files a formal complaint, claiming your grading is biased, but at the same time, your department head is pressuring you to raise pass rates. How would you handle that situation?

And we'll try to understand where the problem. That they are. So I'll try to deal. Students and try to understand. What they have been on, what they have. To the practical or.

So I want to. Like that?

Given your experience with diagnostics and biomedical genetics,

You said you want to do something like that—can you clarify?

To all the. Yes.

You mentioned connecting students to all industry opportunities—can you give me one specific example,

Yes.

You said yes, but I still need a concrete example—just one hospital, biotech company, or lab you’ve worked with or know, where you could actually help a student get an internship or a placement.

Yeah I have worked in. So like I sort of. Integrated. I think of Gibson.

Delhi so. So they're also in the The point of. Pregnancy is. Is our problem. But they're not. Everyone feel sad but what they feel is that only when. There's a beating. That the name.

Yeah I have worked in. So like I sort of. Integrated. I think of Gibson. There are students. For a rapid.

You mentioned integrating—sounds like you were involved with something called Gibson. Can you walk me through how that collaboration worked and what kind of opportunities it created for students?

You mentioned integrating and something about Gibson—sounds like you were involved in a collaboration. Can you walk me through how that worked, and what kind of real opportunities it created for your students?

You mentioned integrating—sounds like you were involved with something called Gibson. Can you walk me through how that collaboration worked and what kind of opportunities it created for students?

You’re describing pregnancy as a problem and mentioning emotions—sounds like you’ve seen some challenging cases with genetic counselling. Can you walk me through how you’d explain a complex genetic risk to a family in a way that’s clear and sensitive, especially if emotions are running high?

At the point when a. Uh, for a family, uh. You are pregnant and. And also children have.

Okay, I hear you're talking about families and children, but let's shift a bit. Can you tell me about a time you designed or taught a lab course—maybe in biomedical genetics or bioinformatics? What hands-on techniques or experiments did you have students actually perform?

That from. Lab courses. I will go for different uh. Yeah, like. Et cetera solutions.

You mentioned you'd use different solutions in the lab—can you give me a specific hands-on experiment or technique you taught, like DNA extraction or PCR, and describe how you guided students through it?

I've got problems better than.

You said you've got problems better than that, but I still need you to describe a specific hands-on experiment or lab technique you taught students—like DNA extraction or PCR—and how you guided them through the process.

Yes I'll. Yeah I'll try to. Yeah.

You sound like you're about to explain, so go ahead—I'd really like to hear about one experiment or hands-on technique you actually taught in the lab.

Apart from. Yeah, apart. Conditions and enthusiasm. Yeah I.

Alright, let's shift gears. When it comes to evaluating students—say you're running a theory exam or grading a lab practical—how do you make sure your assessment is fair and consistent for everyone?

Yeah, I'll, I'd like to talk about. Yeah.

You were about to talk about evaluating students—I'd like you to walk me through your actual process for grading a lab practical. What steps do you take to make sure your marks are objective and students know exactly how they’re being assessed?

This is a product.

Hmm, you said this is a product — but I was asking about your process for grading practical exams. Can you give me a concrete example of how you ensured fairness when evaluating student lab work?

Going protocol. I'll see. Yeah I've.

Alright, you mentioned protocols—so let's switch topics. When you're guiding student research or projects, how do you help them choose a topic and make sure their work stays on track academically?

He has a supposedly. Practical examination is going on. Whatever, whatever, because. How many equipment? So what about?

You’re raising practical exam scenarios and mentioning equipment—sounds like you’ve dealt with real lab assessments. Switching topics a bit, how do you communicate complex concepts clearly in a lecture, especially when students get confused or overwhelmed?

Like future.

Alright, you mentioned future—so let's talk about your research publications. Can you share one of your papers that was published in a reputed journal, and explain what made the research novel or impactful?

Yeah, so. One of my positions that was. And that. In that I have. All.

You were starting to explain one of your positions and a publication, but didn't quite finish—go ahead and tell me what made that research novel or impactful. Mm-hm. Go on.

Within a minute. So it was. Factors and. Yeah wasn't. Oh like the all the.

You mentioned factors but didn't quite finish. If you want, you can give me a quick summary of that publication's main findings—otherwise, let's move to another area. Have you worked on any industry projects or consultancy assignments related to bioinformatics or food science?

That data.

Alright, you said "that data" but didn't really expand. If you've got an example of an industry project involving bioinformatics or food science, tell me what your role was and how you handled the data analysis side.

I. The public integration. Where I can detect that amount of water that is. I've developed a. The percentage of. What percentage? Milk, so I have.

Okay, so you developed a method to detect water percentage in milk—that's pretty hands-on. When you were teaching lab courses like this, how did you make sure students understood both the theory behind the method and the actual steps to get reliable results?

So that. Very much involved in. Starting from the big.

So that. Very much involved in. Starting from the big. The weather. Colorimetric test Then. How?

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

You’re asking how—if you mean how the team operates, or how the role works day-to-day, feel free to clarify what you’d like to know and I’ll do my best to answer. What specifically are you curious about?

Yeah, is this. For US professor research.

Alright, you're asking if this is for a US professor research position. Yes, this role is for an Assistant Professor (Research) and the focus is on faculty-level research and teaching responsibilities. Is there anything else you'd like to ask about the position or the team before we wrap up?

Uh, no, I we've gone through that. Hello.