Group Leader
Dr. Shyam Kumar Masakapalli
Associate Professor, Chair SBB,
School of Biosciences and Bioengineering (SBB), Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi
PhD (University of Oxford), MTech (IIT Kharagpur)
Dr Shyam K. Masakapalli is a passionate academician with research interest in Metabolic Systems Biology of Plants and microbes using Metabolomics and 13C Metabolic Flux Analysis. He applies his expertise in the areas of Phytochemistry, Cellular Bioprocessing and Smart Agriculture. Dr Masakapalli received PhD in Plant Sciences from the University of Oxford (with Prof. R. George Ratcliffe and Dr. Nicholas J. Kruger) in 2012. He worked as a Postdoctoral researcher (2011-2015) first at the University of Oxford (with Dr. Lee Sweetlove) and later at the University of Bath, UK (with Prof. David Leak and Prof. Michael Danson). He did his M.Tech from IIT Kharagpur in the department of Agriculture and Food Engineering in 2007. He served as an Assistant Professor at IIT Mandi (2015-2019).
He supervise/mentor PhD, Postdocs and MTech scholars at MetSysBio Lab, IIT Mandi. He served as the pioneering course coordinator of MTech Biotechnology (2016-21) and Faculty advisor of BTech-MTech Bioengineering. He received “Distinguished Teacher Award 2017” and executed prestigious projects funded by ECR-SERB, DBT-BMBF, IMPRINT, SPARC, DST and DBT-FarmerZone. He has been instrumental in establishing Botanical Garden at IIT Mandi which is also supporting his quest to identify novel "Himalayan Phytochemicals" for a range of applications.
Yogesh Pant
(Ph. D Scholar, JRF)
Plant metabolic profiling for nutrition.
Studies seedling physiology and stage specific nutrient potential of Mustard and Pea. Still learning a lot about Scientific research.
Yogesh loves music, playing his Guitar and cycling.
Jyotika Thakur
(Ph. D Scholar, SRF)
Microbial bioprocessing and Metabolic Systems biology for carbon valorization from wastewater and Cellulose
Developing novel techniques for defining challenging metabolic gaps in cells. Established thermophilic cell factory for LBM to valuables
Skills: Bioprocessing, 13C -MFA, GCMS, NMR, HPLC
Jyotika loves helping the team and exploring entrepreneurship
Shagun
(Ph. D Scholar, SRF)
Phytochemistry from Himalayan Diversity: from molecular discovery, pathway mapping to health applications
Phytochemistry, drug discovery and systems analysis using in silico, metabolomics and 13C tracers.
Skills: GC-MS, NMR, LC-MS/MS, HPLC, molecular docking, MD simulations and 13C analysis
Shagun is a tea connoisseur and enjoys trying herbal infusions. She loves cooking.
Portia D Singh
(Ph. D Scholar, SRF)
Unraveling the Role of Metabolomics in Smart Agriculture
Studying and integrating metabolomics into precision agriculture in India's smart agriculture. Focusing on utilizing GIS mapping for soil monitoring, plant-pathogen interaction for disease monitoring, and water management through satellite-driven data and metabolite research to combat drought stress in plants and sustainable irrigation management.
Skills: GC-MS, NMR, ICP-MS, AAS, SEM FTIR, XPS, ArcGIS, QGIS
Photography, trekking, and Digital Painting
Ashutosh Sahoo
(Ph.D Scholar, SRF)
Systems biology of antimicrobial-resistant pathogenic and drug producing Actinomycetes
My work focused on identifying unique metabolic targets in MDR pathogens using their genomic data and screen potential inhibitors from bacterial and plant sources.
Skills: Comparative genomics, Genome assembly, Genome annotation, Antimicrobial resistance testing, Transcriptomics data analysis
Digital photography, watching movies and series, cooking and testing different food cuisines.
Prem Chand
(Ph. D Scholar, SRF)
Fruit metabolic profiling for nutritional benefits
His focus is on increasing the shelf life of fruits by studying the underlying metabolic pathways during their senescence.
Prem enjoys mountain climbing and outdoor exploration. He is extremely skilled in gardening and has lifesaving abilities.
Akalya S
(Ph D Scholar, JRF)
Foodomics of selected foods with metabolic relevance to health
Working on the metabolic characterization of foods and extending them to the formulation to be efficient against metabolic diseases.
Akalya loves to travel and explore new places and cuisines.
Ashish Chauhan
(Ph D Scholar, JRF)
Plant root metabolomics study
Ashish loves to watch his favourite football team Liverpool Football Club.
Navya
(Ph D Scholar, JRF)
Polyamine metabolism in different biological systems
Looking for ways to detect and quantify polyamines in different systems and understanding their evolution across kingdoms.
Navya loves watching movies, reading novels, and roaming around to discover new places.
Shweta S. Pawar
(PhD Scholar, JRF)
Smart farming of strawberries
Shweta loves to cook and try new delicious food. She also loves to sing songs along with play musical instruments.
Yogita Thakur
(PhD Scholar, JRF)
Deciphering the metabolism of plant systems using metabolomics and pathway analysis.
My research aims to deepen our understanding of plant metabolism and its regulation, with the ultimate goal of applying this knowledge to improve plant health and environmental sustainability.
Finding harmony in the melody of life: immersing myself in books, tunes, and nature's wonders, all while cherishing moments with loved ones.
Ramnath Nayak
(M. Tech Scholar)
Application of exogenous neurotransmitters in plant stress tolerance
Neurotransmitters act as metabolites as well as signaling molecules. This study tries to explore its application in stress tolerance.
Hobbies: Watching movies, anime, playing basketball and guitar
Yogesh Pandey
(M. Tech Scholar)
Stress induced metabolic rewiring using Drosophila system
Examining the metabolic changes that occur when cells detect stress and how they recover afterwards.
Hobbies: Entrepreneurship and social innovation, Exploring nature, Hiking
Swetha R
(M. Tech Scholar)
A holistic investigation into major metabolic pathways within Xanthomonas species using stable isotopes.
Focusing on understanding the metabolic intricacies and studying the ED pathway inhibition within Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris through 13C isotopomers based studies.
A versatile individual with a vivid passion towards Visual and Performing arts. Also, someone who's a strong proficiency in peer-tutoring.
Sara Hasan
(M. Tech Scholar)
Exploring fatty acid degradation and acetate metabolism in selected microbial systems.
Sara loves to read fiction books and maintain physical fitness by gymming.