Good day, Dr. Gayathri Vijayakumar. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

I'm ready to start.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

OK, I.

Biochemistry from from 1994 to 1997 and Vaishali College through University Madrid, University of Madras. Then I joined MSC Biochemistry at PSD College of Arts and Science where I completed in 1999 and then. I during my MSC I did the specialization in clinical biochemistry.

And then I joined, uh, M Phil biochemistry, uh, in 1999 at PSG College of Arts and Science under Bardiya University. And during that, uh, during my MPhil, I completed my research work in, uh, the biopsy that is.

Biochemical changes in Masons will come due to insect infestation and use of pea protein as an insect replant for the stored food grains. Then I started my career at PSD College of Arts and Science as a lecturer in Biochemistry department and from 2001 to 2000 that is July 2001 and then.

In August 2002.

Oh, I joined.

Salim Ali, Center for Ornithology and Natural History, as junior research fellow in the Department of Environmental Impact Assessment. So I worked there under physiological changes in birds due to air pollution for one year. Then in 2000, I worked in the Salim Ali Center from 2002 to 2003. Then after that I joined as lecturer in 2004.

At AVS College of Arts and Science in Salem and I, I performed as a lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry. If till 2005 March, then in 2005 June. I joined as a lecturer in the department of Biotechnology at Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai. I served there till 2 thousand 2023 January. During my journey, I did my PhD, I joined I registered my PhD in 2007 May and I completed it on 2000, 2011 in Madrid that is Presidency College, University of Madras. So during my PhD research work, I did a work on. The multiple biomarker to assess so polyaromatic hydrocarbon.

I also did many projects related to food preservation and one one thing to be highlighted is is eye concentration on food preservation using plant-based materials. Then 2015 I applied.

And its polyaromatic hydrocarbon effect in the freshwater fish tilapia Mozambique's then.

That is, they're entitled Goa, that is go Goa extract as insecticide against old food grains. And I got the the PhD grant in 2021-2022 February. And so the so this has motivated me towards many food-related projects and then in during my. Career as as academic career I have served.

The as a, as a P uh, Hod of food technology, I established umm, the food technology uh, department at Rajalakshmi Engineering College and I, I served as a Hod and they established food chemistry lab, then food preservation lab. I also involved myself in the curriculum design for food technology also. And that through through that I have.

Through my knowledge, I have helped many students to work in the food technology and. During my research work. When I was working in Rajalakshmi Engineering College, I had a chance to. Work in the international international projects also where that is I jump. I jump is international genetical engineered machine in it is host. It was hosted by MIT.

Hey, Boston.

And I participated as a principal investigator and under my guidance and I participated in that item event in 2017 where we developed a product called later Coli, which is a night on God to prevent the food or to increase the shelf life of the food. And we, I as a team, we received.

About the bronze medal. That project and then I continued in that item competition from 2017 and I also served as as a judge during 2017. Then in 2018 also I guided the students and they won the again the they presented their project named Fluorescein and they got we received. Bronze medal again, and then in 2019 also I served as a principal investigator for the item. And 2019, which held at Boston and we got students, we participated. In the project called deliberate and we got silver medal. Then due to COVID, we didn't participate in 2020 and 21. Then again we participated in 19, sorry 2022 and we went to France, the Paris at Port de Vesales and.

We were, we presented a project called Kerlim which will, it's a project which will remove the cadmium toxicity from the industrial effluent. And for that we, we received environmental track award as well as the gold medal and and during that time also I served as a judge for the item and competition and I continued as. I judge in 2023-2024. And 2025 also to as a highlight it in 2025 I got. The best remote Judge award, the Remote veteran judge award in item 2025 then other than that I have participated and the presented in other international conference also. One thing to be. Explained is that which I participated in 2020.

Three at Canada and Toronto and I. I presented a paper named named the Characterization and Approximate Analysis of of the vegetables treated under drying condition and for that paper presentation I received excellent paper award in Toronto and then I I was So far I have published around 13. Research journal publications around the and also about 2022.

International and international conference ends up presentations and and out of this is around 7 or 7 seven publications or are coming under Scopus and Web of Science. I have around 160 citations and h-index is about 6 and high. I-10 index is five and even now I have submitted.

Wallpaper to for a process as it is about the gold nanoparticles as a separate set treatment for treating their breast cancer. Other than that, I have also submitted one more paper related to the sustainability.

So that's my thing and I am very much interested in working in the food technology and I have experience in in taking these subjects like food, food chemistry and then food preservation, principles of food processing and preservation. And then other than that I have handled. Biochemistry. Metabolic Engineering. Environmental Biotechnology.

And then microbiology and my food processing. All these are the papers I have taken. And also marine biotechnology.

Nanobiotechnology and then medicinal chemistry.

Yes.

Alright, let me begin by assessing your expertise and alignment with the role’s requirements. Starting with your expertise in **Food Science and Technology**, particularly your focus on food preservation using plant-based materials and your leadership in establishing food technology labs at Rajalakshmi Engineering College—could you elaborate on the challenges you faced in transitioning research outcomes into practical, scalable solutions for industries?

Yeah, when I have participated in the Yuki 2.0 also where I faced the problems as I got the patent in in the food preservation using the plant based materials. So when it came to the when we go for the the transformation and from the laboratory to the industrial scale. That is, the scaling up is the problem.

And the bridge has to be rectified in future with some aggregation in my research work.

Understood. Thank you for highlighting the scaling issue. Now, focusing on your ability to teach theory and laboratory courses—can you detail your approach to designing course materials or laboratory modules in food chemistry or food processing, ensuring both academic rigor and practical relevance for students?

Yeah, related to food chemistry, I have developed the course, course materials.

Which will be including about the carbohydrate is the proteins and then the the food preservations, then HRP and then the the.

Changes in the food present the changes in the food when during the preservations and send approximate analysis and I also developed their course materials for their labs by which includes the estimation of of carbohydrates, estimations of carbohydrates in the food items, and then the the. Glucose, the glucose index and then and then the. By using the refractometer, how we can analyze the food materials and then isolation of the fiber content from the food and the determination of vitamin C and other constants like iron, calcium and from the food materials and then food adultery. How to identify food adulterations and and the laboratories as well as the food what we are eating and then the estimation.

The preservation, food preservation by coating this bio based coatings and then to increase the shelf life of the food. So these are the the the procedures which I have developed during my experience in food technology.

Of moisture content in the food and then how to develop a food coating materials that is the.

Thank you for elaborating. Lastly, regarding your experience with student evaluation and exam duties, could you describe a methodology or innovative approach you've adopted to ensure fairness and comprehensiveness in assessing students' theoretical understanding and practical skills?

OK, uh, normally, uh, the students are analyzed with their, that is the ability to write either the small at the Bloom's taxonomy level 1234 and five. And the questions are prepared. The question papers are prepared with that Bloom taxonomy levels and then they, they are mapped with. The the program specific the program.

Outcomes and then we used to evaluate their their skilled communication skill, not only the writing part. We used to examine their communication skills, how they are our ability to present themselves and how they are able to present their projects or else whatever they do in the laboratory and also how they are understanding. The the experiments, what we are teaching in the lab through the Vaibhav OC and then. Used to give them MCQ's or surprise quiz and then. With a group discussions, specific topic related to social relevant topics related to food will be given, can be given to them and they can be evaluated. And then and other than that, those people who have the ability to present their paper in the conference, who have the ability to write or the the papers, so they can in such way also they are evaluated.

They they will be seeing how they are doing as a teamwork. If they are, if a project is given how they are individually, they are able to present or what is their contribution and as as a team, as an individual person. So all this will be, I hope that will be able to assist a student.

Other than that, it on the.

Your approach demonstrates a thorough and multifaceted evaluation strategy, balancing theoretical assessments with practical skills, teamwork, and communication capabilities. Thank you for sharing these details. Let's now proceed to verify other key aspects. Coming to **guiding student projects and research**, could you provide an example where you effectively mentored students through a complex research challenge, particularly in the food technology domain?

Yeah, that I can tell about the item 12, how we participated in item 2022.

So that time the students were under, they were COVID batch students where the students were not, they were not able to do or experience the laboratory techniques with a hands on experience that is during 20 and 20 when they were in the second year then when we took up.

Umm, Devin, we picked up the students and so for the projects as a team, we collected, we selected them and then we, they were given like a clay to us where they don't have the practical experience at all from the scratch. We were teaching them, we were molding them. And then we we taught them how to present themselves in front of a big forum like like the igem and then. And they, they, they. They had the ability to create a very good wiki page as they approached us up and then they were developed, They were able to develop their PPT presentation in such a way to impress the the, the judges from the international forum. And then. So that was a big challenge because the as a kid they were, they were given to us where they were moulded them and we. We get rid of them.

With a fear to appear in front of the big forum to present themselves and that was a big challenge which before we which we faced during our our project. But at last we came in with environmental that is we were selected as a finalist is out of 65 pro around 65 projects all over the world.

The environmental track and finally we got the environmental track award also along with the gold medal. So I I felt that was a big challenge which I faced during my project guidance to the students.

Your efforts in guiding students through this challenging project, especially in transforming their confidence and technical skills during difficult circumstances, exemplifies strong mentorship and leadership in research. It reflects an excellent capability to guide complex student initiatives. Turning to **research publications in reputed journals**, could you discuss your most impactful journal publication, detailing its significance and contribution to the field?

Yeah, one of the paper which I published is was.

That is the.

I got one for one one of my paper which was published in 2023. I got around 60 a citation aware it is. Paper which describes about the silver nanoparticle which is synthesized from probiotics milk that is from the milk source the probiotics were collected and Silva nanoparticles were synthesized and these silver nanoparticles. Were used for or wound healing.

Sorry

And for that we do. We did the Wounds crash test. And this paper was published in by the MDPI publication.

Thank you.

You're welcome, Dr. Vijayakumar. Let's proceed. Can you elaborate on your experience with **industry projects or consultancy**, focusing on a specific instance where you contributed significantly to bridging academia and industry?

At present I'm as I told you I by present I'm working in Hindustan University further from from June 2024, where I am working with. Project called that is a remove eco-friendly removal of that is eco friendly removal of microplastic from water by the peptide. Peptide magnetic peak complex. So this is. Focused as industry relevant project where we are trying to develop.

A filter, a water filter which consists of the peptide bind bound with the magnetic plate so that it can remove the microplastic and it can be converted. It can be given to the industries, the like RO system and it can be brought to the market also.

And already there are some auto system existing, but our our focus is to develop a filter which can remove the microplastic also or present in the water through the the peptide, the peptide and magnetic bead complex.

Your work on developing an innovative filter to address microplastic contamination is commendable. It effectively bridges academic research with tangible industry applications, showcasing your ability to tackle real-world challenges through scientific advancements. Finally, regarding **communication and teaching structure**, how do you ensure that your lectures or lab sessions are engaging, accessible, and impactful for students with varying levels of understanding?

Yeah, mostly I will be interacting with the students and with the with my communications where I'll show them through the, through the lectures as well as the smart board where I'll be presenting them. And most probably I will be taking the subjects like. The biochemistry where we'll be showing each step by step reactions. How would they their reactions are carried out? What is the enzyme involved in it, at which temperature and what type of interaction is taking place between the molecules and how they are removed and what is the cofactor involved? Each and everything will be explained to the each and every student. Also, I will ensure that the students are understanding and whether they are capable to grasp my points, what they are telling and that will be tested by questioning them and.

Ask whether my communication in is clear to them. I'm speed or slow so that I can improvise myself. So this will be helping a good communication and good bridge between the student and myself. That is what I feel it's a good thing to do.

Your efforts to foster an interactive learning environment, emphasizing clarity and adaptability to student needs, reflect a strong commitment to effective teaching. Engaging students through such methods undoubtedly enhances their understanding and connection to the subject matter. Is there anything specific you would like to further elaborate on before we conclude this phase?

Yeah. I'm really interested to be to do the projects related to the social benefit as well as the sustainable development, which will be giving an awareness to the students as well as as to the academic thing. So that is what I wanted to tell. Thank you.

Professor, let's begin with your experience as an educator. Could you share which foundational course in food science and technology you find most engaging to teach, and why?

Our scheduled time for the interview is now up. Before we conclude, do you have any questions related to the role or the company?

Uh, no. Uh, I don't have specific question, but for the question you, you asked me, I find that my biochemistry and microbiology are the foundation for their food technology and as well as along with the chemical engineering concepts.

Thank you for sharing that, Professor. It’s interesting to see how you integrate biochemistry, microbiology, and chemical engineering into your teaching foundation. We'll wrap up this segment here.

Thank you.

You're welcome. Let's dive into your research background. Could you elaborate on your project as a Principal Investigator titled "Eco-friendly Microplastic Removal through Peptide-Magnetic Beads"? Specifically, what inspired this study and what were the major findings?

Yeah, uh, my experience with, uh, molecular biology and synthetic, uh, biology. Initiated me to do with this is especially, uh, those which have worked in igem in the, as my, as I told you, my first project is electrical I where we developed a food preservation from the spider venom. They, they, we use the synthetic biology to develop that. So I thought, why can't we do the same thing before the removal of the microplastic also? So, so this initiated me to to find and the peptide now which can bind with the microplastic which is the present in the water. And I why I've chosen this microplastic means that this is interfering with the food food we eat and also the the other organisms which are present in water as as a whole, it is affecting the environment. So to find. To find a solution and to to give a sustainable development and and also to be.

I want to develop a product which is eco-friendly which is not the two chemical and that is which leaves the chemical as a residue. So I thought that this peptide the peptides which can which can be binding with the protein with the with with the plastic. With this, which are present in the water can be removed and also at the same time it can be given as as a safe. The product which we are receiving after the removal of the microplastic will be safe for the use. So that is why I chosen this and as a principal investigator we found a peptide which is around 12. Amino acid base pairs and they were conjugated around the bound with the magnetic beach and.

Both the magnetic field and the peptide were found to have good effect on removal of the microplastic which was which was approved with RAM inspector photometer and bound binding of the microplastic was also identified by the fluorescent microscope. The binding of peptide with the microplastic was identified and that proved that. The water was purified by mice.

Play the newly developed product.

Thank you, Professor, for the detailed summary. Your project demonstrates an innovative approach to combating environmental pollution. Could you discuss the potential challenges you encountered during the development of this peptide-magnetic bead technology? Additionally, how do you foresee scaling up this method for widespread implementation?

OK, I found that due to some technical issues, we cannot do it through through synthetic biology as such in our lab. So we we we got the we found the synthetic, the the peptide which has which can bound to the microplastic like a polystyrene and and. Through bioinformatics study and then they bought that.

It as a commercial peptide from Genscript and then we use data for our study and that is the thing which we we face during the practical session.

I see. That highlights an important aspect of research—adapting to practical constraints. To transition this innovation into the classroom, how would you simplify the principles of peptide-magnetic bead interactions for undergraduate students? What example or experiment might you use for teaching this concept?

Time is up! Ending the interview now.