Shall I?

OK, OK.

Could you kindly share your professional journey in academia?

You want me to, uh.

Tell about myself.

Yes, please share your professional journey, particularly focusing on your academic career.

OK, uh, myself, uh, Doctor Mona Sundar Paneer Kumar, a recent PhD graduate, uh, from.

In Biotechnology from University Malaysia Tranganu with research expertise in translation natural product science. My doctoral research focuses on Malaysian stingless propolis where I investigated its phytochemical variability, bioavailability and product potential functional product development. Through this work, I gained strong experience in natural product comfort isolation.

Uh, like biological validation and, uh, corporation development, which lead to the development of, uh, prototype, uh, uh, photo protective product, which was validated through cellular and, uh, pilot human studies. And this complete journey from laboratory analysis to product formulation helped me to develop strong skills in natural product research and in applications as well as, and which also shaped my, uh, research interest in taking the research. Beyond publication.

To real-world applications, yes, at where do you look for contributing in teaching subjects like food technology, technology, food science, food by chemistry while developing a strong research focus on converting the regional bioresources into sustainable health promoting ingredient and I am excited about this opportunity.

To contribute in teaching, research, and mentoring students.

Towards a practical real-world industrial innovations and that's it. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing that, Professor.

Thank you for providing your background, Professor Sivakumar. Let’s begin by exploring your qualifications and expertise. You hold a PhD in Food Science and Marine Environment from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, with anticipated completion in 2025. Could you elaborate on your research work—specifically the project titled "Phytochemical, Biological and Photoprotective Properties of Malaysian Stingless Bee Propolis"? What was the primary focus, and how does it align with broader food science or nutritional research areas?

Umm, to explain that, uh, my, uh, PhD project is related to development of a product, which means which converts the uh, ingredient to uh, uh, myoptics into a product, which is which I mentioned translation research, this functional bioactives, uh, uh, which I done.

Activity and it was again, uh, as I mentioned earlier, self validated, uh, safety validated through cellular studies and uh, human pilot studies and this function formulation.

Converting in a product by evaluating its phytochemical profile, antioxidant potential and its photoprotective.

As uh, as a great example for me to uh.

Ex Express my interest over the food science where I can also, uh, bring up the same concept of uh, translation, the translation of the bio active into a functional uh, uh, foot.

Thank you, Professor Sivakumar, for that explanation. It sounds like your work has strong translational value in converting bioactive compounds into usable products, validated for safety and function. To deepen this discussion: You mentioned evaluating the phytochemical profile, antioxidant potential, and photoprotective activity. Could you clarify which specific methods or assays were employed for these evaluations, and how these techniques support scientific rigor in food or nutritional sciences?

As I mentioned the phytochemical profiling and antioxidant, it's a major part in my study where I can this antiaxis plays a huge role in.

Stress Biology.

So this evaluating the antiexparent potential through DPP, HSA and Pytorch chemical profiling through.

Thing in food science as well as the major thing major things about the phytophenols which we as I mentioned earlier where I can.

Falling Coquet reagents and aluminium chloride test. Through these methods I can implement the same.

Develop a functional foods is through evaluating its anti-action profiles and polyphenols which present in that same as where I performed TPC total phenyl content and TFC total flavonoid content and its antioxidant passive way through DPPH assays. Thank you.

Understood. You utilized methods like DPPH assays for antioxidant potential as well as total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) measurements using techniques such as Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride tests. These approaches indeed provide a solid basis for understanding the bioactivity of phytochemicals in a functional food context. Let’s shift slightly. Given your focus on translating research findings into applications, how would you design a lab course for undergraduate students to teach them these methods? Could you outline how you’d ensure they grasp both the techniques and their practical implications?

Can you bit explain a bit more?

OK.

Are you there?

OK.

How would you design a lab course for undergraduate students to teach them the methods you used, like DPPH assays or phytochemical profiling? How would you ensure that students not only learn the techniques but also understand their practical significance in food science or nutrition?

Are you done with your question?

Yes, that was the question. Please take your time to respond.

OK, uh.

For undergraduate students before.

Please continue when you're ready. I'm listening.

Sorry.

No problem. Take your time. Please proceed when you're ready.

OK. For undergraduate students, I just, uh.

Before entering into this, uh, uh, development, I will, uh, plan, uh, detailed explanation why we need to do this experiment, what kind of outcome, this kind actually, what are the reagents we will, uh, needed for this? Everything, uh, should be thought earlier before entering into the lab and I will take care of that.

I will completely equip them with proper knowledge before entering into the lab so that the so so that they can understand what we are going to perform inside the lab and everything.

Uh, for underage students, uh.

Thank you for clarifying. It’s evident that you emphasize thorough preparation and ensure students grasp the purpose, expected outcomes, and required materials before engaging in lab work. This is a strong pedagogical approach. To build on this, how would you assess whether the students have adequately understood both the technical procedures and their implications for food science applications?

Can you come up again? How do you?

Certainly. How would you evaluate whether the students have truly understood both the technical procedures, like DPPH assays, and their practical relevance in food science? Could you describe your approach to assessment?

OK, I I will make them to understand the protocol clearly.

What and when should added at right particular time and it's anyway I I'm going to evaluate through their outcomes based on the results what they are performing in their assays.

Yes.

Thank you, Professor Sivakumar. Let’s move forward. Could you now describe any experience you have in supervising or guiding student projects or research work? How do you typically mentor students to ensure their success?

Basically, I'm a recent PhD graduate. I don't have any experience on training undergraduate students, you know, but I have experience in taking classes.

Thank you for clarifying. As you’ve taken classes, could you share how you structure your lectures to make complex topics in food science accessible and engaging for students? What strategies do you use to ensure clarity and student involvement?

Umm, yeah, I can explain that, uh, my teaching, uh, methods are, are based on the concept based learning application orientation teaching like uh, student center approach and outcome-based education and uh, experience, uh, experiencing the learning.

And I will make them to understand what are the fundamentals they should know in the core subjects.

Thank you, Professor Sivakumar. It’s clear you emphasize foundational understanding, concept-based learning, and application-oriented teaching. How do you typically measure the effectiveness of these teaching strategies in ensuring student comprehension and engagement?

I will create a quiz or I will throw questions whether they can think via based on the teaching. Uh, I will give a real life examples like uh.

Information technology, what happened? What is what is the difference between traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge like that? Based on my teaching, whether they can grasp or they can able to create ideas and everything, I will evaluate through them whether they can think different laterally and think scientifically or not.

Thank you for sharing. Your focus on quizzes, real-life examples, and encouraging lateral and scientific thinking demonstrates a thoughtful approach to evaluating student comprehension. Now, let’s examine your research publication experience. Could you elaborate on any key challenges you faced during the publication process, especially in reputed journals, and how you worked through them?

Sometimes.

The reviewer might ask, ask me to add more infographics and everything, and I in that, in that particular time, I would go through my manuscript and I get more understanding and I create more infographics and then I can.

Decode everything what the reviewer's comments has been and I will satisfy the reviewer through what the correction they have in system me to correct. And that's the thing I faced and during my publications.

MMM.

Thank you for sharing. Could you also highlight how your published work contributes to the broader field of food science or aligns with industry applications?

You want me to explain my work?

Yes, specifically how your published work contributes to advancements in food science or its relevance to industry applications.

As I mentioned earlier my research.

Is focused on translation research. Uh, where I can, uh.

I can, uh, developer, I can develop a research on regional biorecesses, which can, uh, uh, be translated, which can I, I find a particular bioactives which can be potential for converting its, uh, uh, properties into functional foods. So which I have already, uh, previously did in my research where I can develop a prototype of photoprotective product formulation, same thing I.

In the food science like in especially in fermented food products.

Where you can…?

Thank you, Professor Sivakumar. Your focus on translating regional bioresources into functional products, particularly leveraging their bioactive potential, showcases a clear alignment with both research and industry applications. Your experience in creating prototypes, such as photoprotective formulations, underscores the practicality of your work. To conclude this discussion on your skills: Could you elaborate on how you envision merging your research expertise with teaching responsibilities, ensuring that both areas mutually benefit each other?

Sorry.

No problem. Let me rephrase. How do you plan to combine your research expertise with your teaching? How will your research enhance your teaching methods, and vice versa?

I will, I will, uh, create, uh, my research and teaching based on the real world, uh, applications like hands on training where I, for example, I can umm.

Do my projects in uh, Vt, uh, and uh, I will explain what I do uh, to the students so that they can, uh, relate what, uh, what are happening around them. And they, and I will help them to get hands on training so that they could easily relate the subject, uh, knowledge to the practical knowledge.

The in this way I can uh.

Contribute in research and teaching.

Thank you, Professor Sivakumar. Your emphasis on linking real-world applications, hands-on training, and integrating research with teaching will undoubtedly provide students with a deeper and more practical understanding of food science concepts. This concludes the skill evaluation phase. Thank you for your thoughtful responses.

That's it.

Professor, to begin, could you share which courses in food science or technology you find particularly enjoyable or fulfilling to teach?

Especially the fermentation technology. I really like that, uh, subject.

Professor Sivakumar, let us discuss your research work on the photochemical, biological, and photoprotective properties of Malaysian stingless bee propolis. Can you describe the core findings of this research and their significance in the field of food science and technology?

Uh, yes, uh.

Transforming the bio research into non-toxic functional foods is the same pattern which I will follow in Food Science and technology.

My product which I developed is non-toxic at cellular levels and in human pilot study this.

And moreover, I will incorporate more substrates or more of uh.

Like, uh, making, uh, more additives Like, uh.

A single product can cannot be, uh, be a super food at all time. So I will uh.

I have a concept of mixing 2 or more functionally bioactives to create a functional food.

Thank you, Professor Sivakumar. That’s an intriguing approach, especially the idea of combining bioactives for functional foods. Could you elaborate on how your proposed method ensures the safety and bioavailability of these combined bioactives during the formulation process?

Can you please repeat the question?

Certainly. How does your proposed method ensure the safety and bioavailability of the combined bioactives during the formulation process?

So I will, I will begin to begin with the extraction. I will go with the ethanol extraction. Meanwhile many uses may might do methanol extraction and everything but methanol extraction shows toxicity at cellular levels.

Interesting choice. How do you plan to evaluate and measure the bioactive equilibrium between the combined components to ensure their functional efficacy in such formulations?

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

Can you repeat the question again?

Certainly. How do you plan to evaluate and measure the bioactive equilibrium between the combined components to ensure their functional efficacy in such formulations?

What do you mean by bio active equilibrium?

By bioactive equilibrium, I mean how the combined bioactive compounds interact with each other to maintain their individual properties without counteracting or diminishing their effectiveness. How would you assess and ensure that these compounds work synergistically rather than negatively influencing each other?

Based on their outcomes like products which were product outcome like for example, uh in fermentation technology, they might produce the end product like.

Ethanol like something I will examine that products, whether they have, uh, a synergy, synergistic effects, uh, while combining the reactives or anything like that. I will, uh, first focus on their end product.

Understood. Evaluating the outcomes to determine synergy is a practical approach. Thank you for sharing your insights, Professor Sivakumar.

Professor, could you outline your 3-year research roadmap in Food Science and Technology? Specifically, I am interested in how you envision contributing to high-impact publications and fostering a collaborative research environment.

A proposal where I can get funding from DBT and serve for the.

So I will prepare.

Minimum of 20,00,000 and then I will set up my research.

To in the functional foods by incorporating 2, two or three more several bioactives in fermentation food products, fermented food products so that I can bring more publications and help students to contribute in the research and.

Make them two.

Yeah, OK.

Interesting approach, Professor. How do you plan to mentor junior researchers and students to ensure a consistent pipeline of high-quality publications while scaling your laboratory's research activities?

I will make them to, uh, read, uh, at least 10 papers in a month so that they can get a knowledge about what is publication, what kind of writing should be, uh, takes place in, uh, creating a manuscript. What is the storytelling, uh, efficacy like that. I will make the students to contribute, uh, for their publications.

Understood, Professor. How do you intend to leverage international collaborations to enhance your research's visibility and improve citation metrics?

For, uh, being the same side like, uh, who is fun, uh, working on a functional foods. So I, I will, uh.

I will look forward to collaborate with foreign researchers who are going to, uh.

Uh, collaborate with them to gain knowledge for the local, uh, knowledge and, uh, our local knowledge to enhance the product and uh.

Increased its popularity and functional efficacy.

Much more better.

Got it, Professor. Thank you for sharing your insights.

Professor, could you explain a detailed implementation of an active learning model, such as a Flipped Classroom, for a large-enrollment course in Food Science and Technology? The key constraint is that you cannot use slides. How would you structure and execute this approach to maximize engagement and learning outcomes?

In Chakan.

Hello.

Uh, yeah.

Alright, Professor, please go ahead and explain how you would implement an active learning model like the Flipped Classroom for a large-enrollment course in Food Science and Technology, without the use of slides.

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

Yeah, please explain what? What kind of?

Apart from a research and teaching, what can what? What should I? What are, what are you?

Willing to, uh, willing me to contribute.

Professor, in addition to teaching and research, universities often value contributions such as mentoring students, developing industry partnerships, participating in curriculum design, securing research funding, and engaging in community outreach initiatives. These activities help build a well-rounded academic ecosystem. Do you have any further questions or would you like clarity on a specific area?

No.

Thank you.

You're welcome, Professor. Just to confirm, would you like to formally end the interview now?

Yeah, listen in the center.

Professor, could you confirm if you'd like to end the interview now? I just want to be certain before proceeding.