Biological Sciencesand Technology Division (BSTD) is a multi-disciplinary division of CSIR-NEIST, Jorhat, dedicated to carrying out basic and applied research in frontier areas of microbial diversity, agriculture, environment, and health sciences.
The prime mission of the BSTD is to develop technologies through large-scale interdisciplinary collaborations from the enormous bioresources of North East India, including plants, microbes, and insects, using modern tools and techniques of biotechnology whose utilization can impact different strata of the society.
The division has successfully executed and is pursuing R&D projects funded by CSIR, DBT, DST, SERB, ICMR, ICAR, ONGC, OIL, CSB, MoEF, etc. A number of technologies have been developed and transferred to industries and MSMEs for commercialization leading to the societal benefit. In addition, the division is contributing to a number of quality publications in reputed journals and patents.
The division enrolls students regularly in PhD programmes with brilliant academic credentials both under AcSIR (the Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research) and universities.
We invite to explore our research strengths and the profiles of our faculty to get a flavor of the exciting research currently underway in the division.
The division covers the following research areas:
Microbial Diversity
- Soil microbiota for environmental care and PGPR-based biofertilizer technology to alleviatethe multi-stress of crops for sustainable agriculture
- Integrated omics of microbiome: insight into community structure and function relative to environment and to host-microbe interactions
- Understanding of the molecular mechanism of plant-microbe-soil interactions
- CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing system and functional analysis to elucidate and develop biotic and abiotic stress-tolerant crop varieties for sustainable agriculture
- Cell biology and functional genomic approaches to improve quality, nutrition, and yield traits of significant crops and high-value aromatic medicinal plants
- Understanding the role of non-coding transcript landscape and superior alleles contributing to plant development and stress management
Environmental Sciences
- Bioremediation of crudeoil-/petroleum waste-contaminated soil and water
- Bioprocess development for value-added chemicals and products
- Water and soil testing for microbial contaminants
Health Sciences
- Molecular understanding of bacterial drug resistance in humans, animal and the environment
- Diagnostics and therapeutics development against drug-resistant bacteria
- Utilization of insect bioresources of North East India by developing insect-based products for food, feed and pharmaceutical applications
Research Group
- Dr. Ratul Saikia, Senior Principal Scientist & Head
- Dr. Channa Chikkaputtaiah, Principal Scientist
- Dr. Anil Kr. Singh, Principal Scientist
- Dr. Sachin Rameshrao Geed, Scientist
- Dr. Prachurjya Dutta, Scientist
- Dr. Udita Basu, Scientist
- Dr. Archana Yadav, Senior Technical Officer
- Dr. Jyoti Lakshmi Hati Boruah, Senior Technical Officer
- Mrs. Polakshi Bordoloi, Technical Officer
- Ms. Anita Kachari, Technical Assistant
Dr Ratul SaikiaPh D (Biotechnology)
Sr. Principal Scientist
ID. No. 1058
ratulsaikia@neist.res.in, rsaikia19@gmail.com
Ph : +91 0376-2370121extn 2344 Fax : +91 0376 2370011
Area’s of Interest : Bacterial Genomics, Molecular plant-microbe interactions
