Pranab Kumar Mahata
Assistant Professor And Head
Jhargram
Summary
I am Pranab Kumar Mahata, a doctoral student who has completed a doctoral degree under Dr. Regina Sharmila Dass, an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology at Pondicherry University in India. I have a background in fungal genetics, phylogeny, mycotoxicology, and I am looking for a teaching-research position in the field of microbiology/biotechnology. Please consider me for the opportunity to perform these duties at your organisation if I am among the suitable candidates you are considering.
Overview
2
2
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Assistant Professor in Microbiology
Radha Govind University
06.2024 - Current
- Created materials and exercises to illustrate application of course concepts.
- Mentored students and communicated internship and employment opportunities.
- Contributed to departmental goals by serving on various committees focused on curriculum development, assessment strategies, and accreditation requirements.
- Maintained an up-to-date knowledge of subject matter by attending conferences, workshops, and webinars relevant to the field of study.
- Built strong rapport with students through class discussions and academic advisement.
- Evaluated student performance through comprehensive assessments, identifying areas of improvement and providing targeted feedback for growth.
- Inspired critical thinking skills among students by fostering a learning environment that encouraged open-mindedness, curiosity, and intellectual exploration.
- Evaluated and supervised student activities and performance levels to provide reports on academic progress.
- Applied innovative teaching methods to encourage student learning objectives.
- Increased academic achievement by providing one-on-one mentoring and support to struggling students.
- Enhanced cross-disciplinary collaboration through active participation in departmental meetings and workshops.
- Enhanced student research skills by supervising independent studies projects both inside and outside the classroom setting.
- Collaborated with colleagues on curriculum revision, evaluation of course syllabi and lesson plans for Area of study curriculum.
- Strengthened relationships with colleagues by participating in collaborative projects and research endeavors.
- Developed innovative curriculum for interdisciplinary courses, fostering a broader understanding of various subjects for students.
- Streamlined the grading process with efficient rubrics and timely feedback on assignments, improving overall workflow efficiency.
- Created dynamic learning environment that valued instructor and student interaction.
- Identified research opportunities for students, assisting with gathering data and drawing conclusions for projects.
- Supported multidisciplinary research teams focused on scholarly publication.
- Developed diversified course curriculum to meet regulatory standards and support learning objectives.
- Designed and implemented various educational activities and programs to meet student needs.
- Created positive and safe learning environment for students by setting and enforcing classroom code of conduct.
- Assessed students' progress and provided feedback to enhance learning.
- Conducted engaging in-class discussions to facilitate learning and encourage participation.
- Guided students in researching, structuring and presenting debate case.
Education
PhD - Microbiology
Pondicherry University
Pondicherry04-2023
NET - Life Sciences
CSIR-UGC
12-2014
GATE - Life Sciences
GATE-2014
01-2014
M.Sc - Microbiology
CSJM University
Kanpur09-2006
B.Sc - Zoology-Hons
Marwari College
Ranchi08-2003
Skills
Sample collection and plating, fungal microflora incubation, percentage incidence of fungus, fungal culturing and microscopy characteristics, phylogenetic analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms, cultivation, and fluorescence methods for the identification of toxic fungi, HPLC-UV detection, RNA total extraction, and gene expression analysis
Certification
Joint CSIR-UGC Test for Junior Research Fellowship and Eligibility for Lectureship (NET) held on 21-12-2014. CSIR is pleased to inform you that you have been declared successful in the above examination and secured 055/0750 rank in the subject LIFE SCIENCES under ELIGIBILITY FOR LECTURESHIP (NET) category only subject to fulfilling the eligibility criteria laid down by UGC.
References
- Regina Sharmila, Dass, Research Supervisor, reginadass@gmail.com, Pondicherry University, Assistant Professor, India, Department of Microbiology
- Narottam, Acharya, Examiner for doctorate theses – Indian, narottam74@gmail.com, narottam_acharya@ils.res.in, +916742301476, Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Scientist - F, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, 751023, Research area: Genomic Instability and Diseases
- Kamel A., Abd-Elsalam, Examiner for doctorate theses – foreign, kamelabdelsalam@gmail.com, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Plant Pathology Research Institute, 9-Gamaa Str., Giza, Egypt, 12619, Research area: Plant pathology, Antifungal agents, Molecular Diagnostic Techniques, Fungal Diversity, Nanotechnology.
Research Publication
- Mahata, P. K., Dass, R. S., Lokanadhan, G., and Thorat., P. (2026). Geographical Variation and Ecological Distribution of Seed-Borne Fungi Associated with Foeniculum vulgare Seeds in the Indian Subcontinent. Frontiers in Microbiology (section Food Microbiology). Impact factor-4.5. (Under review).
- Tomar, S., Preeti, S., Nishad, R., Kumar, R., and Mahata, P. K.
- (2026). Miniaturized Bioreactors Drive Advances in Industrial Fungal Biotechnology. Discover Biotechnology, Springer. (Under review).
- Gunti, L., Kalagatur, N. K., Nagarai, A., Mahata, P. K., and Regina Sharmila Dass, R. S. (2026). Phytochemical-Guided Synthesis of Selenium Nanoparticles from Punica granatum Peel for Mechanistic Control of Aspergillus flavus and Aflatoxin B1: Mechanical and Safety Insights. Journal of Cluster Science, Springer. Impact factor-3.6. (Under review).
- Juyal, S., Mbiswa, S., Tomar, S., and Mahata, P. K.
- (2025). The Structure Identification and Antimicrobial Prospective of Copper Nanoparticles Derived via Phyto-Mediated Synthesis using Eupatorium adenophorum. Applied Nanoscience. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-025-03112-y. Impact factor-3.17.
- Mahata, P. K., Dass, R. S., Lokanadhan, G., and Thorat, P. (2022). First Report on Metabolic Characterization of Sterigmatocystin Production by Select Aspergillus species from the Nidulantes Section in Foeniculum vulgare. Frontiers in Microbiology (section Food Microbiology). doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.958424. PMID: 36090109. Impact factor-6.064.
- Mahata, P. K., Dass, R. S., Pan, A., and Muthusamy, B. (2022). Substantive Morphological Descriptions, Phylogenetic Analysis and Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Aspergillus species from Foeniculum vulgare. Frontiers in Microbiology. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.835220. PMID: 35250948. Impact factor-6.064.
- Gunti, L., Kanak, K. R., Mahata, P. K., Dass, R. S. (2019). Green Synthesis of Selenium Nano-metalloid from the extract of Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) leaf and its Antimicrobial Activities. JoNSNEA. 9, 12–20 (List of 2019 UGC care journals).
- Cytotoxic effects of Gamma Irradiation on Aspergillus occultus MN259598 strain to augment biological copper nanoparticle synthesis and to corroborate antibacterial properties on food- borne pathogens. (2022). https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1375861/v1 (Preprint).
- Gunti, L., Dass, R. S., and Mahata, P. K. (2022). Multifaceted Role of Phyto-assisted Selenium Nanoparticles (SeNPs) in Agri-Business, Food Industries and Human Therapeutics. Springer Nature. Chapter 23.
- Dass, R. S., K R, M., Thorat, P., Suresh, A J., and Mahata, P. K. (2021). The Biological Implications of Fungi as Agents of Mycotoxigenicity and Potential Therapeutics in Medicine. Springer Nature, Book chapter.
- Mahata, P. K., Dass, R. S., and Gunti, L. (2022a). A polyphasic approach to the identification of Aspergilli and genetic variability of Aspergillus species isolated from Foeniculum vulgare. Oral presentation at the International Virtual Conference on Applied Biology for Sustainable Development, p. 41. Sri Parasakthi College for Women, Courtallam, Tamil Nadu, India.
- Mahata, P. K., Dass, R. S., Gunti, L., and Thorat, P. A. (2022b). The Mycotoxigenic Potential of Sterigmatocystin-Producing Aspergilli from the Tropical Indian Herb Foeniculum vulgare. Presentation given orally at the International Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance and the Microbiome in a Changing Climate, p. 106. ARMRMIC 2022, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India.
- Gunti, L., Dass, R. S., and Mahata, P. K. (2022). Phyto-assisted synthesis of selenium nanoparticles using Emblica officinalis and assessment of its antioxidant activity. Presentation of a talk at International Virtual Conference on Applied Biology for Sustainable Development, p. 32. Sri Parasakthi College for Women, Courtallam, Tamil Nadu, India.
- Took part at the Pondicherry University Department of Biotechnology's DBT-BIRAC workshop on "Bio-entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property & Technology Management in Lifesciences" (2022).
- Kanak, K. R., Dass, R. S., Gunti, L., and Mahata, P. K. (2019). Fungal mediated biosynthesis of CuONPs from Neurospora crassa and their antibacterial activity. Oral talk at the National Conference on 46th Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of India and Recent Advances in Biodiversity, Biology and Biotechnology of Fungi, 123. Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Puducherry, India.
- Taken part in a national workshop on RT-PCR sponsored by Pondicherry University's Department of Bioinformatics (2018).
- Joined the "Bioinformatics and Drug Discovery" seven-day national conference held at Pondicherry University's Center for Bioinformatics (2017).
Research Expertise in the Work
Studies on the genetics and mycotoxicology of fungal species.
Teaching Abilities
At Radha Govind University in Ramgarh, India, I am looking forward to stepping in as an assistant professor in the Microbiology Department beginning on June 22, 2024.
Departmental Lead
Acting as the head of the microbiology department at Radha Govind University from the 2024-25 academic year.
Mentoring Experience
I provided assistance to the 2025 graduating class of graduate and postgraduate students and am presently guiding two PhD students in the department of microbiology at Radha Govind University.
Expertise in Assessing Research Papers
Interacting with in work related to original research and reviewing articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
Timeline
Assistant Professor in Microbiology
Radha Govind University
06.2024 - Current
PhD - Microbiology
Pondicherry University
NET - Life Sciences
CSIR-UGC
GATE - Life Sciences
GATE-2014
M.Sc - Microbiology
CSJM University
B.Sc - Zoology-Hons
Marwari College