SKM's MetSysBio Lab

Group Leader

Prof. Shyam Kumar Masakapalli

Professor, 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 Cellular Bioprocessing, Plant metabolism, Smart Agriculture and Phytochemistry. His research led to deciphering metabolic features, mapping of key pathways and metabolic flux maps of plants and microbes of relevance to industrial and agricultural applications. He developed SynCONS bioprocessing technology and demonstrated integration of flocculation as an efficient bioprocessing strategy for waste to value. He has several scientific publications and patents. He served as reviewer and as editor for few scientific journals. He currently serves on the editorial board in mSystems, an ASM journal of high repute.

Dr Masakapalli is currently affiliated to IIT Mandi, where he serves as an Associate professor in the School of Biosciences and Bioengineering. He served as the pioneering Chairperson in the School of Biosciences and Bioengineering (2022-2024), pioneering Course coordinator of MTech in Biotechnology (2016-2021). He supervises PhD, MTech and BTech scholars at Metabolic Systems Biology Lab, IIT Mandi (https://sites.google.com/view/metsysbiolab). He hosted and mentored a few Postdoctoral researchers and women scientists. He received “Distinguished Teacher Award 2017” and executed prestigious projects funded by ECR-SERB, DBT-BMBF (Indo-German), IMPRINT, SPARC (Indo-UK), SaIAFarm (DST, Indo-Danish) and DBT-FarmerZone.

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.

Dr Wadzani Dauda

(Post Doc Scientist, DST-TWAS fellow)

Systems Analysis of Magnaporthe oryzae and its interaction with Antagonistic biocontrol agents

My research focuses on the systems analysis of Magnaporthe oryzae, the causative agent of rice blast disease. I investigate molecular mechanisms that regulate pathogen suppression, aiming to develop sustainable, eco-friendly strategies for crop protection through integrated biocontrol approaches.

Skills: Molecular Biology Techniques Bioinformatics and Data Analysis Plant-Microbe Interactions Biocontrol Strategies Experimental Design and Systems Biology

Dr Wadzani loves reading books and Singing traditional songs.

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

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

Prem Chand

(Ph. D Scholar, SRF)

Fruit metabolic profiling for nutritional benefits

Focussed on studying the Nutritional and Metabolic characterisation of Himalayan Apple varieties along with novel post harvest processing of Apples into valuables.

Skills: GC-MS, NMR, NIR, Molecular docking, MD simulations, Transcriptomics, Bioprocessing, and 13C analysis.

Prem enjoys mountain climbing and outdoor exploration. He is extremely skilled in gardening and has lifesaving abilities.

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.

Akalya S

(Ph D Scholar, SRF)

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.

Navya

(Ph D Scholar, SRF)

Cellulose production to energy metabolism:Comparative insights in komagataibacter

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.

Ashish Chauhan

(Ph D Scholar, SRF)

Metabolomics and Nutritional Profiling of different Leafy Greens under different Abiotic Stresses

Indoor smart farming of different leafy greens including lettuce, spinach etc. to explore effects of different abiotic stresses (such as drought, light, etc.) on their growth, nutrition, metabolic profile and yield.

Skills: NMR and GC-MS based metabolomics

Passionate about watching Liverpool football matches.

Shweta S. Pawar

(PhD Scholar, JRF)

Deciphering plant metabolic responses exposed to varying light regimes and exogenous metabolites using Metabolomics and 13C analysis

Using Metabolomics and pathway analysis I aim to improve our understanding of plant adaptation and its applications in agricultural stress management.

Passionate about culinary exploration, reading, and fostering connections, I blend creativity, curiosity, and well-being into my approach to life.

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 by Research scholar)

Metabolic Biology of Pea: Understanding the metabolic phenotypes associated with seed germination and plant growth.

Trying to better understand the complex process of seed germination and nodulation in Pea by integrating metabolomics.

Skills: GC-MS, 1H-NMR, RNA-Seq Data Analysis, RT-qPCR and Network Analysis

Hobbies: Watching movies, anime, playing basketball and guitar

Alisha Santosh Shinde

(M. Tech Scholar)

Drug designing and discovery using Central metabolic pathway analysis.

Focusing on identifying the unique central metabolic pathways in H. pylori and S. typhi.

My aim is to design a potential inhibitor against the central metabolic pathways of pathogenic microorganisms.

Skills: Molecular docking, Drug discovery, Comparative Genomics, NMR, GC-MS,

Hobbies: Watching movie, creative decoration,

Hemant Kushwah

(M. Tech Scholar)

Bioprocessing potential of Thermobifidia fusca on AlkRS using solid-state and submerged fermentation methods

My research evaluates the bioprocessing potential of Thermobifidia fusca on alkali-treated rice straw (AlkRS) using solid-state and submerged fermentation methods. It focuses on optimising cellulase and xylanase production for industrial use, with secondary work on metabolic reconstruction of xenobiotic pathways.

Skills: HPLC handling and troubleshooting, NMR analysis, GC/MS analysis, Enzyme kinetics

Hobbies: Trekking, traveling and watching anime

Saumya Srivastava

(M. Tech Scholar)

Bioprocessing, optimizing Thermobifida fusca as a cell factory for pyruvate production from glucose

My M.Tech project focuses on optimising pyruvate production from a thermophilic bacterium in a fed-batch culture, utilising diverse industry-relevant carbon sources to improve scalability and yield.

Skills: Bioprocessing, NMR, HPLC, GCMS

Hobbies: Dancing, Travel and explore new places, Enjoy helping others fostering a supportive environment around me

Anjali Yadav

(M. Tech Scholar)

Metabolic Engineering of T.fusca to enhance pyruvate production

To enhance the pyruvate production, I am trying to knock out the genes responsible for byproduct production and downregulate the carbon flux from glycolysis to TCA cycle

Skills: Pathway analysis and reconstruction, Cloning, Gene manupulation

Hobbies: Reading, cooking, watching movies

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