Radhakrishnan E. K, PhD, is currently working as an Associate Professor in the School of Biosciences of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India. He is a multifaceted academic with a distinct research career. He also holds several positions simultaneously, including Honorary Director of the Business Innovation and Incubation Centre (BIIC); Honorary Joint Director of Inter University Centre for Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture (IUCOFSA) at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam; Honorary Director of the Dr. N/ Radhakrishnan International Centre for Medical Innovation (NRICMI); and Director of Industry Academy Interface. He earned his doctoral degree from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, and did his postdoctoral studies at The University of Tokyo, Japan. During his 13 years of research, he has published over 160 research publications, over 38 book chapters, and several review papers. He has edited 18 books with Springer Nature and Elsevier, Apple Academic Press, and CRC Press. His work has received 4840 citations (h-index of 39), and he has delivered 55 invited talks at various national and international conferences and seminars. To date, 16 PhDs have been awarded under his guidance. He has completed 14 major research projects and one minor project with funding from agencies and has six ongoing projects as principal investigator. He was awarded in 2023 with Kairali Gaveshana Puraskaram research award for research in the biological sciences, which included a cash prize and research grant from the Kerala Government. He has been listed among top 2% scientists of the world, per Stanford University and Elsevier BV, based on his career long data and single year impact in 2022 and 2023.Shiji Mathew, PhD, is currently working as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. She worked as a microbiology tutor for over two years at Sri Rajiv Gandhi Dental College, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Dr. Mathew has published a handful of research articles in various international peer-reviewed journals. She has also contributed more than ten book chapters to international book volumes from eminent publishers. Her area of research is medical microbiology and nanotechnology, and she is specialized in the development of nanotechnology-based polymer composites, their characterization, and specialized applications in food packaging and in the medical sector. Dr. Mathew completed her doctoral degree in Medical Microbiology at the School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, India. Her doctoral thesis was titled, “Antimicrobial effects of nanoparticle conjugates.” Her MPhil (in Biosciences), MSc and BSc degrees in Medical Microbiology were also from Mahatma Gandhi University.Riya Alex, MSc, is a microbiologist with a diverse background in research and academia. Currently, she is a PhD scholar at the School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India. Prior to this, she held the position of Assistant Professor at St. Berchmans College (Autonomous), Changanassery, Kottayam, Kerala and has worked as a microbiologist at Ananthapuri Hospitals and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, India. She gained project experience as a trainee at the ICAR Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode. She has published two papers in academic journals and two book chapters. She holds an MSc in General Microbiology and BSc degree (double main) from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India.
