Dr. Balendu Shekher Giri

Dr. Balendu Shekher Giri has a master’s and PhD in Microbiology from the Barkatullah University Bhopal and CSIR NEERI Nagpur. He has done his post-doctoral research at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, and Sejong University and Hanyang University, South Korea.  He has published more than 100 reviews and research papers in highly reputed journals like Bioresource Technology, RSER, Science for the Total Environment, and Journal of Cleaner Production with a Google Scholar citation of 6000 and an h-index of 38 with an i-10 index of 70. He has also been listed in the top 2% of researchers declared by Elsevier and Stanford University jointly. He has worked in India’s top research organizations CSIR’s labs including CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur; CSIR-NIIST Trivandrum: CSIR-IICT Hyderabad and CSIR IITR Lucknow, etc. Similarly, he has worked in India’s top technical institutions like IIT BHU Varanasi (2 Years) and IIT Guwahati for 2 years. He has several active collaborations from around the globe which include the USA, Israel, The Netherlands, China, South Korea, and Taiwan respectively. In our UPES university, I am proudly saying that my number comes in the top 10 faculty profile which is very good for me and first as an assistant professor. I have three PhD scholars 2 from the UPES and Once from the RDSO Lucknow.

My research career in various universities and institutions throughout the globe was very interesting and welcoming with very high output. For example, during my work tenure at CSIR NEERI Nagpur, my research area was the studies on the biotreatment of sulfurous gases emitted from the pulp and paper industries are very important. I have published more than 10 very good publications and 4 international conferences of which one was at the Feng Chia University, Taiwan. Another work on wastewater analysis and treatment was done at the South Korean University with very high output. In the end, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA experience was the most important and valuable in the application of biochar for the treatment of H2S gas and enhanced biogas production. This work was highly cited by the researchers and was published in the Bioresource Technology Journal.

My research area of interest is the solution for pollution removal in the air, soil, and water using various tools methods. Now, my research area is slightly shifting towards sustainable agriculture and food research. Biochar is my favorite type I have published more than 30 publications for the removal of various pollutants like dye, insecticides, pesticides, and mercaptan which are very toxic to society and harmful to the environment. Using the application of biochar and biogas production may be the solution for India’s bioenergy requirement and waste treatment which come under the waste-to-wealth scheme from the several funding agencies.

I believe in interactive teaching which is more effective and impactive as per my view. During my postdoctoral tenure at IIT BHU Varanasi, I have found that when the teacher is more open to discussing and freely communicating with students then students get more comfort zones to reach the teachers. Because of this way, I have published 40 research papers in the IIT BHU in my three-year tenure.  I have learned these things from South Korean and USA universities. Their teaching quality and concept are completely open, and teachers-students have a healthy relationship, and this thing I have learned from there.

• Environmental sustainability and climate change and Himalayan Studies including the sustainability developmental goals (SDGs). This course is implemented by the UGC as a mandatory course for all. I have taught this course to BA, BSc, B Tech, Law, and Management students. During my tenure, I have taught more than two thousand students at Bidoli and Kandoli campuses with the student's satisfaction level.
• Another course Fundamentals in Sustainability Engineering for the B Tech class of the Sustainability Engineering course has been taught in one semester for the B Tech students.  

Honors/Awards/Fellowship:  

• Post Doctorate Fellowship at IIT Guwahati, Assam, (October 2020-December 2022) 
• Post Doctorate Fellowship at CSIR IITR, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (September 2019- September 2020) 
• The Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) fellowship for the travel support grant for collaborating the research work at Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea  
• Awarded international travel support grant for the oral presentation in an international conference at Kunming China during November 11-15, 2017.  
• Post-doctoral fellowship, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, UP (July 2016- July 2019)  
• Post-doctoral fellowship, University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA (March 2015- March 2016)  
• Post-doctoral fellowship, Sejong and Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea (2013-2014)  
• Sr. Research Fellowship, CSIR, New Delhi (2010-13)  
• Awarded “Third prize” in a group work title by the 8thTechnology Leadership Entrepreneurship Program – Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (8thTLEP-CSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology, India supported by IIM Bangalore (July 2011) 

Membership of Professional Societies -   

• Life Member of the Biotech Research Society (BRSI), India  
• International Forum of Industrial Bioprocess (IFIBIOP), France  
• Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS London), London, United Kingdom 

Visit Abroad for the oral presentation at International Conferences -

• 2011 Taiwan –Oral Presentation, International conferenceICCE-2011, Taiwan [November 2-5] sponsored by Feng Chia University, Taiwan 
• 2017 China-Oral presentation at International Conference in Challenges in Environmental Science & Engineering (CESE 2017), Yunnan University, Kunming, China [November 11-15, 2017], sponsored by DST, Government of India 

Editorial Board Member 

• Guest Editor Environmental Science and Pollution Research (Impact Factor: 5.8 for the Year 2020-2022) 
• Guest Editor Environmental Science and Pollution Research (Impact Factor: 5.8 for the Year 2023-2025) 
• Advisory editorial board: Heliyon (Impact Factor: 4.0) 
• Review Editor Frontiers in Environmental Science and Technology  
• Review editor Frontiers in Microbiology 
• Review editor in Frontiers Group

Startup 

Established one startup namely Biojagat Private Limited which has signed one MoU with IIT Guwahati under the Umbrella leadership of CRTDH, DSIR, Government of India. The startup is registered at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, MSME certification, Udyam Certification, and GST certification.   

This startup works mainly on the mushroom cultivation and production of its value-added products like edible food powder, biscuits, bakery, cookies, cake, and pickles using biodegrading sustainable polymer materials.  

balendus.giri@ddn.upes.ac.in