About Me
Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place - that is, the unique you. Have an aim in life, continuously acquire knowledge, work hard, and have perseverance to realize the great life.
~Dr. A. P. J Abdul Kalam, Former President of India and "Missile Man"
Welcome!!
I'm Dr. Karan Kumar, a researcher specializing in Computational Biotechnology and Sustainable Biofuel Generation.
I completed my bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from the National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC), Kerala, and PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Assam, in 2018 and 2024, respectively. I have joined iAMB - Institute of Applied Microbiology, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Germany, as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. I am currently working on the European Innovation Council-funded project HYDROCOW. Check out my "Projects" description tab to learn more about exciting HYDROCOW project.
Explore my PhD thesis work on alcoholic biofuel production using advanced computational modeling and experimental biology techniques.
Discover more about my publications, awards/recognition, and other accolades using respective tabs.
Let's journey together towards scientific excellence and sustainability.
Education
Ph.D. (Energy Science and Engineering)
07/2018 - 01/2024 (Project)
CPI in course-work: 9.0/10.0
Specialization: ABE fermentation, Solventogenic clostridia, Computational biotechnology, Bioenergy
School of Energy Science and Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India
B. Tech. (Biotechnology)
08/2014-05/2018
CPI: 8.32/10.0
Department of Bioscience and Engineering (erstwhile School of Biotechnology)
National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kerala, India
Remarks: First Class with Distinction
Higher Secondary School Examination (10+2)
Session: 2013-2014
Marks obtained: 72%
Bihar School Examination Board, Patna
A. K. Gopalan Inter College, Sultanganj, Bihar, India
Remarks: Top 1% of all candidates appeared in exam
Super 30
Ramanujan School of Mathematics
Director: Padma Shree Anand Kumar
Super 30 (extended): 2013-2014
Ramanujan School of Mathematics: 2012-2013
Senior Secondary School Examination (Xth)
Session: 2011-2012
Marks obtained: 84.4%
Bihar School Examination Board, Patna
K.N.S.M Intermediate High School, Sultanganj
Remarks: Secured rank 1 in school and under top 10 in home district; Best Student Award
Research
Motivation
How CRISPR lets us edit our DNA | Jennifer Doudna
What happens when biology becomes technology?
Publication track record
Journal/Preprints:
Published:7 (Corresponding: 2, 1st-author: 5)
Submitted/under-review: 2
Preprints: 5
In-preparation: 5
Books chapters:
Published:6 (Corresponding: 3, 1st-author: 4)
Submitted/under-review: 5
In-preparation: 2
Conferences/Seminars:
Invited talks: 3
Keynote lectures: 1
Oral presentations: 12
Poster presentations: 5
Academic/scholarly awards: 6
Travel grants: 8
Recent publications (*Corresponding author)
Kumar, K.*, Kumar, S., Goswami, A., & Moholkar, V. S. (2024). Advancing sustainable biofuel production: A computational insight into microbial systems for isopropanol synthesis and beyond. Process Safety and Environmental Protection. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2024.06.024
Kumar, K., Anand, A., Moholkar, V.S.* (2024). Molecular Hydrogen (H2) Metabolism in Microbes: A Special Focus on Biohydrogen Production. In: Soccol, C.R., Brar, S.K., Permaul, K., Pakshirajan, K., de Carvalho, J.C. (eds) Biohydrogen - Advances and Processes. Biofuel and Biorefinery Technologies, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49818-3_2
Anand, A., Kumar, K., Moholkar, V.S.* (2024). Various Routes for Hydrogen Production and Its Utilization for Sustainable Economy. In: Soccol, C.R., Brar, S.K., Permaul, K., Pakshirajan, K., de Carvalho, J.C. (eds) Biohydrogen - Advances and Processes. Biofuel and Biorefinery Technologies, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49818-3_20
Jadhav, SM, & Kumar, K* (2024). Biomarker Analysis for Alzheimer's Disease. In: Bhattacharya, K., Bhattacharjee, A.(eds) Computational and Experimental Studies in Alzheimer's Disease, CRC Press, https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003412069-5
Karan Kumar*, Shraddha M. Jadhav, & Vijayanand S. Moholkar (2024). Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) fermentation with Clostridial Co-cultures for Enhanced Biobutanol Production. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 185, 277-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2024.03.027
Research interest
Systems metabolic engineering
Computational biotechnology
Applied Artificial Intelligence & Machine learning
Bioinformatics (comparative modeling and molecular docking)
Atomistic scale simulations (molecular dynamics and DFT)
Mathematical biology (fermentation and enzyme kinetics)
Themes of doctoral thesis
Comparative genomics analysis
Reconstruction of genome-scale metabolic models, constraint-based modeling and analysis
Mathematical modeling of enzyme kinetics
Computational investigations in enzyme-substrate interaction
Microbial biofuels and value-added products (bioalcohols and their derivatives; biodiesel) - Clostridium sp. and Algae
Latest achievements
Five peer-reviewed book chapters published by Taylor and Francis, CRC Press are on the way! Click here to navigate to the book project.
Congratulations, Dr. Karan Kumar for joining iAMB - Institute of Applied Microbiology, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany as Postdoctoral Research Associate (https://www.iamb.rwth-aachen.de/cms/iamb/Das-Institut/Team/Gruppe-Blank/Postdoc/~bhhocr/Karan-Kumar/lidx/1/).
Congratulations to Karan Kumar on successfully completing his Viva-voce seminar on January 19, 2024. (officially Dr. Karan Kumar)
Recommended candidate, SERB-ITS under young scientist category to attend AlgalBBB - 2023 at Hawaii, USA
Best Paper Award at VII- International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Challenges (VII-SEEC) held at IIT BHU during December 16-18, 2022.
Best Keynote Speaker Award at 3rd International Conference on Biofuel and Biomass 2022 held in Singapore during December 8-9, 2022
Analytical proficiencies
Gas Chromatography (GC)
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
Ultrasonic Bath & Horn (Probe), Fermentor (3 L and 5 L)
UV/Vis Spectrometer, Fluorescence Spectrometer
Dynamic Light Scattering Spectrometer
Inverted Microscope, Light Microscope, Fluorescence Microscope
96 well Plate Reader, Electrophoresis Unit (Agarose & SDS-PAGE)
Computational proficiencies
Programming language: Python, MATLAB, R, LaTeX, bash scripting, Git
Operating software: Windows, Ubuntu/Linux
Professional software and packages: COBRA ToolBox, Gaussian, Packmol, PyMOL, Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD), Gromacs, NAMD, UCSF-Chimera, Origin, Avogadro, ChemBioOffice Suit (ChemDraw, ChemBio3D, etc.), MasterNova, MathType, OpenBable, MS Office Suite, Google Office Suite, LaTeX, GitHub, AutoDock, VegaZZ, MGLTools, MODELLER, Mauve, GAapSeq, Systems Biology Workbench, MiniTab, etc.
Memberships of professional societies
International Society for Energy Environment and Sustainability (ISEES) - Life Member
The Biotech Research Society India (BRSI) - Life Member
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) - Annual Student Member
International Metabolic Engineering Society (IMES) - Annual Student Member
International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) - Annual Student Member
Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) - Annual Student Member
Editorial board memberships
Trends in Renewable Energy (U.S. Library of Congress)
Role: Associate Editor
Appointment w.e.f.: April 16, 2024 to Present
Website: http://futureenergysp.com/index.php/tre/about/editorialTeam
Frontiers in Environmental Microbiology (Science PG)
Role: Associate Editor
Appointment w.e.f.: April 7, 2024 to April 7, 2027
Website: http://www.envmicrobio.org/editorial-board
PriMera Scientific Engineering (ISSN: 2834-2550)
Role: Associate Editor
Appointment w.e.f.: June 19, 2023 to Present
Invitations to join various community WhatsApp groups
Research Exchange Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FNXBvh26UIALJBib69rNzv (760+ Members)
PhD/Master's Guidance: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JDG569pkgujKT2JhEmjLRb (990+ Members)
PostDoc/Job positions after PhD: https://chat.whatsapp.com/ENxFfF7P8Oy3ZdYCoDSKSr (750+ Members)
Researchers in Biology and Allied Areas (RIBAA): https://chat.whatsapp.com/KDIJhA9vHJT3eWDS3v3ic5 (700+ Members)
Community Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hc1P4lHT4IL9gk0nUAX3VM (1620+ Members)
Previous Interns: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JMLzNDwb33JKBNAj1UsXvD (240+ Members)
Invitation to Postdoctoral Research Associates in Germany!
Hello everyone!
Are you a Postdoctoral Research Associate working in Germany? If so, we've got something special for you! Join our WhatsApp group to connect with fellow researchers, share knowledge, and grow together as a community!
🔗 WhatsApp Group Link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JMXDKg53gTo9QNjZ46dtiJ
Please note: This group is exclusively for Postdoctoral Research Associates who are currently working in Germany. It's not intended for those seeking postdoc positions or preparing for them.
Feel free to spread the word and invite your colleagues who might be interested!
Contact details for training & collaborations
I wish to dish out my technical knowledge to budding researchers, companies working in the field of sustainable bioenergy generation using microbes and computational biotechnology, and students from various technical institutes (under discretion). I conduct various training and internship programs for skill development. For possible collaboration on research projects, reach out to me at the email address below.
Dr. Karan Kumar, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate (Project: HYDROCOW)
Industrial Systems Biotechnology Group, iAMB - Institute of Applied Microbiology, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology
RWTH Aachen University, Room 42A/115, Worringer Weg 1, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
Email: karan.kumar@rwth-aachen.de | karaniitg.pmrf18@gmail.com
For internship inquiry: mimbiosim@gmail.com
Contact number: +49-176-7900 5471 (Call & WhatsApp) & +91-7907163207
Important Web-urls
Institute web: www.iamb.rwth-aachen.de
Group web: https://www.iamb.rwth-aachen.de/cms/iamb/Forschung/~bgeqfy/Industrielle-Systembiotechnologie/lidx/1/
Official web: https://www.iamb.rwth-aachen.de/cms/iamb/Das-Institut/Team/Gruppe-Blank/Postdoc/~bhhocr/Karan-Kumar/lidx/1/
Hydrocow team at RWTH: https://www.iamb.rwth-aachen.de/cms/iamb/Forschung/Blank-Lab/~bgdvyy/Hydrocow/lidx/1/
Hydrocow: https://www.hydrocow.eu/