Dr. Chirayu Desai, PhD

About

Before joining GBU, I was actively engaged in teaching, research and administrative roles as an Associate Professor (2020-2022) and an Assistant Professor (2015-2020) in biological sciences at Charotar University of Science & Technology (CHARUSAT), Gujarat, India. At CHARUSAT, my research was primarily focused on developing eco-sustainable biotechnological solutions such as bioreactors and bio-electrochemical systems for the treatment of hazardous industrial wastewaters and deciphering the taxonomic distribution and functional genes of microbial communities mediating biodegradation processes using metagenomic analysis. To run my research programs in Environmental Biotechnology, I have secured various competitive grants from government funding agencies such as SERB, DBT, NMCG and GSBTM. Preceding to this appointment, I have worked as a postdoctoral researcher on projects focussing on understanding the host-microbe interactions in the gut environment and gut microbiome analysis in murine models of disease at Emory University School of Medicine (2013-2015), Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I have also worked as a postdoctoral researcher on projects investigating the molecular mechanisms of virulence in pathogenic Candida sp. at Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey Medical School (2009-2013), Newark, New Jersey, USA. Prior to this, I have also worked as an Assistant Professor in biotechnology at ARIBAS (2008-2009), Gujarat, India.

Background

• 2008: Ph. D. in Biotechnology, P.G. Department of Biosciences, Sardar Patel University, Gujarat
• 2003: M. Sc. in Biotechnology, P.G. Department of Biosciences, Sardar Patel University, Gujarat
• 2001: B. Sc. in Biochemistry & Vocational Biotechnology, St. Xavier’s College, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Honours and Awards

• 2019: INSA-Bilateral Exchange Program for Visiting Scientists-2019 (availed at Beijing Institute of Genomics, Beijing, China)
• 2019: Sakura Science Exchange Program of Japan Science & Technology Agency (availed at University of Miyazaki, Japan)
• 2007: Endeavour India Research Fellowship Award of Australian Government (availed at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia)
• 2019-21: CHARUSAT Research Paper Awards
• 2016: CHARUSAT Best Research paper Award
• 2007: CSIR-Senior Research Fellowship (Not availed)
• 2003: CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test
• 2004: University Gold Medal in M. Sc. Biotechnology (Sardar Patel University, Gujarat, India)
• 2001: Gold Medal and Xavier Research Foundation Fellowship (St. Xavier’s College, Gujarat, India)

Research Group Overview

The major focus of my research group is on developing sustainable wastewater treatment biotechnologies. Some of the current objectives of our research group are as follows:

• Enrichment of bacterial consortia and bacterial strains for biodegradation and biotransformation of xenobiotic pollutants.
• Engineering fixed-biofilm bioreactors, microbial fuel cells (MFC) and eco-electrogenic constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC) systems for wastewater bioremediation.
• Identification of mechanisms for biodegradation of xenobiotic pollutants.
• Metagenomic analysis of microbial community structures/dynamics/functional genes involved in bioreactor systems and bioremediation processes.
• Cloning, expression and purification of xenobiotic degradation genes from bacterial genome and metagenome.
• Tracking the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), bacteria (ARBs), antibiotic resistome and emerging contaminants in polluted river ecosystems and urbanized sites.
• Analysis of host-microbe interactions and gut microbiome in murine model of diseases such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Publications

Selected Recent Publications

• Patel D, Patil K, Madamwar D, Desai C* (2022) Electrogenic degradation of Reactive Red 152 dye by Niallia circulans DC10 and its genome sequence analysis reveals genes mediating dye degradation and anodic electron transfer. Journal of Water Process Engineering 47, 102690.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2022.102690
• Patel D, Sweta BL, Madamwar D, Desai C* (2021) Electroactive bacterial community augmentation enhances the performance of a pilot-scale constructed wetland microbial fuel cell for treatment of textile dye wastewater. Bioresource Technology 332, 125088.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125088
• Rathour R, Jain K, Madamwar D, Desai C* (2021) Performance and biofilm-associated bacterial community dynamics of an upflow fixed-film microaerophilic-aerobic bioreactor system treating raw textile effluent. Journal of Cleaner Production, 295, 126380.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126380
• Kalola V, Desai C* (2020) Biosorption of Cr (VI) by Halomonas sp. DK4, a halotolerant bacterium isolated from chrome electroplating sludge. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 27: 27330–27344
  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05942-0
• Patel AB, Shaikh S, Jain KR, Desai C*, Madamwar D* (2020) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: sources, toxicity, and remediation approaches. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11, 562813.
  https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.562813