Good day, Dhrubajyoti Das. 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?

OK, so.

Please go ahead.

OK, uh, good morning. Uh, my name is, uh, Dhrubojiti Das, uh, I'm from, uh, a small hilly state in the northeastern India called Tripura. So I have done my, uh, masters and PhD, uh, in vit University Vellore in chemistry. And then I moved to Coimbatore and joined KPKPR Institute of Engineering and Technology as an assistant professor and I worked there for nine months.

Postdoctoral research and I joined National Changung University Department of Biomedical Engineering, UH and UH to, to pursue my uh, post-doctoral research uh, and my research focused in biosensing technology, biosensing technology, microfluidics and, and molecular diagnostics. And throughout my research career, I have. I have published 1616 research paper with a cumulative impact factor of 70.

Taiwan to pursue my.

And I have one patent granted and also I have applied for two more, uh, patents. So, uh, my research focus, uh, my research focus in biosensing technology, microfluidics and chemistry that fit with the department's CBCMTCVCMTS aim, long-term aim, long-term aim in development of developing the unmet need for modern.

Biomedical for for healthcare and healthcare and translation.

Matches with the department vision and that's why I fit for this position. Thank you.

Using biomedical innovation, so I think my profile it matches with the.

Thank you, Professor Das, for elaborating on your background and research focus. I'd like to now dive deeper to assess specific competencies relevant to this role. How do you approach integrating microfluidics and molecular diagnostics to solve unmet biomedical needs in translational healthcare?

OK. So, so I would, I would like to, I would like to elaborate on this part. So basically what, what we do is we we developed a we work on a BI sensing technology, whether it's in optical or surface acoustic based, surface acoustic based biosensing technology. And then we integrate, integrate that technique by sensing technique with microfluidics.

So microfluidic platform will help us to develop a miniaturized version of the version of the device like microfluidic chip. So and then we perform, we perform the, we perform the biological experiment inside that.

Oh, microfluidic microfluidic chip. And so in that miniaturized system, we can, we, we can, we can develop a point of care, point of care diagnostics technology. So that's how that's how in my current research, what we do is we use genus particle based, genus particle based sensing technology and then we combine that one with isothermal amplification.

So and we do that isothermal amplification and genuine particle based sensing inside a microfluidic chip. And then finally we detect, we detect search COV 2 and other respiratory diseases using that technique. So that's how we can combine the biosensing technique with the with the micro, integrate that one with the microfluidic chip and then finally we can develop a comprehensive point of care device that can be used. In any remote areas.

With the resource limited settings.

Thank you for that detailed explanation, Professor Das. It's clear your work is deeply aligned with the principles of integrating microfluidics and molecular diagnostics for solving real-world biomedical challenges, particularly in resource-limited settings. Could you provide an example where you faced a significant technical or scientific challenge during the development of a microfluidic-based diagnostic device, and explain how you overcame it?

OK, So actually when when we are developing our developing our our technique for respiratory disease, especially for the search Cove 2. So we use so we we we use micro microfluidic channel and microfluidic chip.

To perform that experiment inside that inside that microfluidic, microfluidic setup. So some, some, some, some technical issues that we have found is that first thing is that the biological, biological substance, they, they tend to stick to the microfluidic surface because that surface that microfluidic chip is based developed on made-up of PMA material. So that and the particle that we use.

Stick on the surface. So what we used to do is like, uh, we, uh, make that surface.

Uh, hydrophobic coating, uh, Teflon on the surface. So that's how we can, we can reduce, uh, we can reduce the, we can reduce the binding of that, uh, adsorption of the substrate, substrate and our biological molecules and the particles on that microfluidic chip. Second thing is that.

Second thing is that we we also see that the particles that we use, the nanoparticle genus particle we use, so it has half gold and half fluorescent. So in the gold, in the gold side what we see.

That the the amplified DNA that will attach that will attach on that physically absorb on the goal side. So what we do is like we quote that gold nanoparticles with MCH, so that can prevent that can prevent also also the attachment of the.

Attachment of that, uh, DNA, uh, physical absorption of the DNA on that gold surface. So that's how we, that's how we overcome some of the, some of the, some of the problems. And also, uh, while uh, making that microfluidic chip during the photolithography, we can, we can find a lot of like these alignments and also making those microfluidic chip channel very small during the photolithography, we find some challenges, photolithography challenges, but.

Using, uh, improved, uh, design, uh, we can improve those, uh, lithographic, uh, lithographic problems as well.

Thank you for explaining that in detail, Professor Das. It’s clear you have addressed intricate challenges with both technical modifications and innovative surface engineering to advance your microfluidic diagnostic systems. Now, considering your expertise and experience in developing these biosensing technologies, how would you approach scaling such devices for widespread clinical adoption, particularly in terms of cost-efficiency and regulatory compliance?

OK, so in terms of, uh, cost efficiency, uh, what do you like instead of using PDMS based photolithography, what we can do is like we can switch to PMMA based polymer based material, which is much more cheaper and then we can, and those materials, those materials are easily available and can be and can be made. Those devices can be made using just normal.

A drilling, CNC drilling machine. And so that's how those those devices, those microfluidic devices can be mass produced. And then in terms of regulatory, regulatory compliances, first, obviously when we device or device a point of care sensing any diagnostic tool. So we have to go to that go and get first the approval from the in India we can say we have to get the approval from CDs.

Our, our developed devices and then we can use those, we can use those devices, uh, cost effectively using a cheaper like PMMM material and then mass produce those devices. And then that's how we can, we can reduce the cost.

CDs go, CDs go and also we, we will get first FDA approval for our.

And also the, uh, also we can uh, compliance with the regulatory, uh, regulatory compliances.

Thank you, Professor Das. Your approach of utilizing cost-efficient materials like PMMA and addressing regulatory pathways through approvals showcases a practical understanding of the steps needed for scaling and adoption. Let’s now shift focus to your teaching abilities. How do you ensure that complex topics, such as molecular diagnostics or biosensing, are understood by students who are new to these subjects?

OK, so my teaching approach teaching approach will always be focused on focused on 1st. I will make sure that the student understand the concept in depth. Even though they are not from this, they are not from this background. I'll make sure that the basic concepts of molecular diagnostics and biasing technology first they understand in depth the basic concept. Once they understand the once they understand the.

Concept. Then I will also also relate those topics, relate those topic, giving them some real life examples and also some examples from my own experiences, research experiences to connect that connect that topic with the with with that real application in research as well as in the daily life, daily life application where we can, where we can use those, use those.

Those, uh, use those techniques. So that's how I think it will be. It will be, it will be used, uh, it will be, it will be, it will be easy to, uh, make the student understand and build more interest during those on those subjects as well as whenever I get a chance, I will use a practical, practical demonstration. I will use laboratory, laboratory demonstration. To just not to understand the theory, also to also to understand.

And the practical, uh.

Uh, practically, practically, uh, demonstrate those, uh, techniques so that student can understand the basic concept as well as the, as well as the practical, uh, practical, uh, practical, They can also gain the practical knowledge. And my teaching experience in the KPR Institute has taught me that every student, they have their different learning capability. And I'm also also ready to. Also ready to adapt my teaching.

Teaching style for to based on the based on the learning capability of the student. So in a nutshell, my my aim will be to make the student understand the basic constant basic concept first, give them practical example and then connect that connect that work with the practical research and the practical applications.

Yeah.

Thank you, Professor Das. Your emphasis on foundational understanding, practical demonstrations, real-life applications, and adapting to the unique learning needs of students demonstrates a comprehensive and student-centered teaching philosophy. Shifting slightly, could you provide an example of how you have previously guided a student on a research project or laboratory activity? What steps did you take to ensure the student was both learning and contributing meaningfully?

OK, so in my, in my previous experience during my post doc, actually I have guided, not guided. I have mentored 3 master students. So first I make sure first I make sure I give them a give them a proper goal with the with the within within within that with a particular time frame. So I, I've, I give, I make their I make a proper goal for them research goal.

And 1st I explain and make them understand what is the research problem need to be, need to be addressed. And also I keep, I keep, I keep try them, I keep monitor, monitor their work progress and wherever they need guidance. So I tell them what are the, what are the problems they face and what are the possible solutions for their for their problem. And I also and I also and I also encourage them in the early stage.

Writing and reading more and more research articles so their knowledge on those topics also enhances and I also encourage them. I also encourage the student to student for interactive discussion with the other other researchers lab mates and also also one one is 1 more way is to enhance their.

Technical ability is to attend more conferences like international conferences where they get exposed to the variety of variety of research field not only limited to their own research also in the other research field, so they get more knowledge. So so in overall first is giving them a specific specific target and define their define their.

The task, uh, research, research problem and then give them, uh, give them time to write and also monitor their progress, monitor their progress and also, and also discussion with other researchers. So that's how, uh, I try to help a student to build their, uh.

Define their, define their.

To build their to overcome their research problem. And that's how that is my approach to.

Approach to approach for the research scholar.

How they can accomplish their research project? Yeah.

Thank you, Professor Das. Your structured approach to guiding students—establishing clear research goals, mentoring through problem-solving, promoting academic writing and reading, and encouraging collaborations and conference exposure—demonstrates your capability in fostering research development effectively. As we move forward, let’s delve into your publication experience. Could you highlight a specific research publication that you consider a significant contribution to the field and elaborate on its impact or novelty?

OK, so one of my one of my key publication, key publication in my during my post during my academic research is development, development of development of.

Uh, rotational diffusivity sensor combining with the isothermal isothermal amplification, uh, for, uh, for rapid and rapid sensitive detection of SARS COV 2 SARS COV 2 cDNA. So in this work, what we have done is we, we, we developed a rotational rotational Brownian motion and which is also called rotational diffuse symmetric technique. Which is? Which is, which is drive by 1 micrometer genus particle.

So we use, uh, we use that, uh, rotational Brownian motion of the genus particle and that combine with the isothermal amplification technique, nucleic acid amplification technique, uh, which is, uh, uh, loop mediated isothermal amplification technique to amplify that amplify that target, target target nucleic acid of that virus.

And and and then detect that detect that detect that target virus inside a inside a microfluidic inside a microfluidic chip. So the novelty, novelty and the innovation in that work is using genus particle based enabled rotational Brownian motion, which is to the best of my knowledge so far no one has.

Done this work means that no one has combined these rotational Brownian motion.

With isothermal amplification to detect to detect to detect the detect the viruses SARS Co V2 virus or any other any other bacteria. So this is the novelty and the significance is the this enables to enables us to detect that sample within just 10 minutes which is really fast and with a very high sensitivity where we achieved detection limit of 7070 echo echogram per microliter.

Which is when we compared to DNA copies, which is around 20 DNA copies per sample. So yeah. And we have published this work in a bias in AQ1Q1 international journals, which is BI sensors and by by electronics which current impact factor is more than 10. And I published this work in 20/20/23. Yeah.

Thank you, Professor Das. Your work on the development of a rotational Brownian motion-based sensor integrated with isothermal amplification is indeed innovative and impactful. The rapid detection capability within 10 minutes and the high sensitivity are impressive, and publishing in a high-impact journal like *Biosensors and Bioelectronics* underscores the quality and significance of this research. Lastly, I’d like to touch on your experience in collaboration or consultancy with industry. Have you worked on any industry projects or participated in consultancy efforts? If so, could you describe your role and contributions?

Uh, I'm sorry, uh, so far I haven't, uh, you know, I, I haven't worked with any, uh, in any industry or any consultancy with the industry. However, however, we right now during my postdoctoral research in national Chengdu University, we are developing a surface surface acoustic wave based sensor where we are collaborating, collaborating with to develop that microfluidic.

Device.

For detection of using surface acoustic wave sensor for detection of exosome based.

Exosome based impact.

Diagnostic, so where we have collaborated with collaborated with a company which is called TST, TST Bio in Taiwan and with a collaboration with that company and other partners, we are developing that microfluidic device for cancer detection.

Thank you, Professor Das. While your industry connections may be relatively recent, your collaboration with TST Bio on a microfluidic device for exosome-based cancer diagnostics showcases your ability to engage in impactful industry-academic partnerships. It's a strong example of translating research into practical applications. I believe we have covered the essential aspects of your expertise and qualifications for this role. Would you like to add anything further before we conclude?

Yeah. So what I can say is like if I my, my approach, approach for this role, approach for this role in the IT department is.

Developing Developing a self My focus will be first will be to develop a self-sustaining self-sustaining research lab where I'll be contributing contributing on training PSD students and also master students. And my focus will be my focus will be to develop produce very high quality research paper and also would like to collaborate with industry and other experts in this field in vit and other departments.

But especially in AI, because nowadays, uh, nowadays also.

And down the five years, 5, five years line, I, I feel, I feel that I'll be working, I'll be working, I'll be working independently as a, as a, running a research lab in research lab in vit and also working, start working, start working for my startup and developing a prototype, prototype for prototype for medical diagnostics based on which is focused on cancer diagnostics and.

AI is AI is AI can help in healthcare monitor monitoring and healthcare diagnostics. So that will be my approach. That will be my approach and work strategy in VIT.

And also attaining a patent for that prototype and also my research. It is not only limited to limited to limited to biosensors also would like to also would like to explore a new frontiers like organ and chip and integrate microfluidics, microfluidics for microfluidics for developed low cost point of care biosensors for. Mass mass detection and also to integrate AI.

In AI in the biosensors so so so that overall we can detect AI assisted AI assisted by point of care biosensors that can help in that translational translational healthcare and and work towards developing, developing, developing.

Developing.

Point of care diagnostic tool and help help also contributing to the Vit's mission to mission to develop a solid foundation Research Foundation. So yeah, that's, that's my that's my goal.

Thank you, Professor Das, for sharing your vision and goals. Your ambition to establish a self-sustaining research lab, pursue cutting-edge technologies like AI-integrated biosensors and organ-on-chip systems, and contribute to translational healthcare and VIT's research objectives is commendable. Your aspirations align well with the role of shaping the future of research and education in biotechnology and bioengineering. With this, we have comprehensively discussed both your expertise and vision for the role. Do you have any final remarks or questions before we conclude?

One one question is like if we if we get if we get if I get selected then how soon I have to I have to join VIT?

Yeah, I think that that that's it from my side.

The job details provided do not specify an exact joining timeline, but it's common for such positions to expect a candidate to join within weeks or months after the formal offer is made, allowing for relocation or other preparations. If selected, details regarding the expected joining period would likely be outlined in the offer letter or discussed during the finalization process. Would you like me to answer anything else?

Yeah, sure. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Professor Das, for taking the time and providing such detailed insights into your background, expertise, and aspirations. It has been a productive discussion. I wish you all the best with the outcome of the process. Can you confirm if I may end the interview now?