Area IV establishes its research work and teaching courses around the biological components and their processes in nature. The research lens has two major foci, one addressed at the cellular and molecular level while the other at the ecosystem and landscape level. The former constitutes the environmental biology research where effect of toxic components (heavy metals, pathogens, pollutants, radiation, carcinogens) on cells and their cellular responseand remediation potential by natural therapeutics is studied. While the latter encompasses the ecological research, involving study of biotic components (microbiota, flora, fauna) and their interaction with their surroundings at organism, population, community, ecosystem and landscape levels.
Area IV strictly abides by the principles of sustainable development and conservation in its research actions. Host-pathogen interactions, multi-drug resistant pathogenscellular level experiments, plant-microbe interactions, environmental omics, applications of nanotechnology, biochemistry, biotechnology, radiation and cancer biology, development of metadata; an amalgamation of all these is helping us to approach better. Therefore, the think tank also discourses their work in areas like socio-economic and policy aspect of ecosystems (forest, agriculture and built environment), biofertilizers, bioremediation and restoration processes and biodiversity conservation and management strategies.
The faculties pursue and promote research in such a way that it is in sync with the contemporary global scenarios of climate change, sustainable development goals, LiFEStyle for Environment (LIFE mission) among others. Collaborating young minds, experienced scientists, governmental and non-governmental agencies help in transcending research communication from local and regional domains to national and global platforms.
Area IV Faculty
Prof. Kasturi Mukhopadhyay (Convener)
