Biotechnology for Agro-Industrial Residues Utilisation Utilisation of Agro-Residues

Professor Ashok Pandey, MSc, PhD is currently Head of the Biotechnology Division, Regional Research Laboratory, CSIR, Trivandrum, India. He graduated from the University of Kanpur and took his Master's degree with a first class in Chemistry. He followed this with a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Allahabad. Then he worked as scientist in the National Sugar Institute, Kanpur and Suddeutsche Zucker AG, Germany. He joined the Regional Research Laboratory, CSIR at Trivandrum in 1987. He has been Visiting Professor to UFPR- Brazil, UBP- France and UNESCO Professor. Ashok has strong research interest in the area of Industrial Biotechnology, especially in Bioprocess Technology. During the past 28 years of his career, the research carried out has credited him with five patents, 17 books, 12 technical reports and about 200 papers. He has supervised five PhDs and 57 Master s students. He has won several awards, which include Best Scientific Work Achievement award from the Cuban Govt, Raman Research Fellowship Award, GBF, Germany and CNRS, France Fellowships, Young Scientist Award, etc. He occupies the Chair (F&H) of the International Society of Food, Agriculture and Environment (Finland), President of Biotech Research Society of India, President of the Association of Microbiologists of India (Trivandrum chapter), Vice-Chairman (Kerala) of the All India Biotech Association- SC and life-member of the National Academy of Sciences (I), Society of Biological Chemists (I), Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (I), and Association of Microbiologists of India. He serves as the Editor of Bioresource Technology and is also on the Editorial Board of four other international and five Indian journals. He has also edited an Encyclopaedia published by Haworth Press, USA. His current R&D efforts are on mainly on Bioconversion of biomass, solid-state fermentation, biotechnological application agro-industrial residues for value addition, etc.