Environmental Genomics Laboratory
Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology,
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Research Areas
The group focuses on assessing various biotic and abiotic factors affecting microbial diversity in different systems by employing traditional techniques of enumeration as well as state-of-art molecular microbiology approaches. We aim to develop strategies for promoting environmental sustainability in view of the critical deterioration levels of the ecosystem. Following are the current areas of interest of the group:
AGRICULTURE (Plant-microbe interactions)
We are constantly working towards agricultural sustainability by maintaining soil health through its biotic component, the microbiome. This is attempted by bridging the age-old gap between basic sciences and applied sciences in the area. From designing efficient consortia, developing their formulations, to tracking the strains in plant growth experiments, and establishing their mechanisms of action via target and non-target impacts, our research can be comfortably tagged as “holistic.” Some of the specific topics we work on are as follows:
-
Rhizosphere engineering by top-down and bottom-up approaches for plant growth promotion and stress mitigation
-
Surveillance of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes in agro-ecosystems
-
Assessment of soil and plant health using hyperspectral imaging
-
Development of next generation bioformulations
-
Analysis of the impact of different agricultural practices on soil health
​
Dr. Shilpi Sharma
​
Professor
Email : shilpi@dbeb.iitd.ac.in
MICROBIAL LOAD ON TEXTILES
​
Another exciting area of work has been to understand how fabric properties affect the microbial load on them. This is of immediate concern in hospitality and healthcare settings, especially because there are no guidelines for apparels used in these sectors. With our collaborator from the Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, Prof. Deepti Gupta, who contributes towards analysis of fabric properties, we have been working on real life samples from healthcare units in understanding microbial diversity by employing molecular microbiology tools, which has not been studied as yet. Surveillance of antibiotics resistance and its spread through soft surfaces like textiles are also topics of our interest.