Biographical note

Dr. Mihir Kumar Purkait is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India. His current research activities are focused in four distinct areas viz. i) advanced separation technologies, ii) waste to energy, iii) smart materials for various applications, and iv) process intensification. In each of the area, his goal is to synthesis stimuli responsive materials and to develop a more fundamental understanding of the factors governing the performance of the chemical and biochemical processes. He has more than 20 years of experience in academics and research and published more than 300 papers in different reputed journals (Citation: >16,500, h-index = 75, i-10 index = 193). He has 12 patents and completed 43 sponsored and consultancy projects from various funding agencies. Dr. Dibyajyoti Haldar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences (Deemed to be University), Coimbatore, India. He is a former Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for the Environment, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), India. He obtained his Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Agartala (NITA), India, and his M.Tech in Environmental Science and Technology from the National Institute of Technology Durgapur (NITDGP), India. His research work includes conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars, enzymatic hydrolysis, biofuels, formation of value-added products derived from agricultural wastes and processes kinetics and modelling. He has published more than 20 scientific research and review papers in various reputed International journals. He is the author of several book chapters and two books (ISBN: 9780128188019 and ISBN: 9780128235348) published in Elsevier. Dr. Haldar is the Review Editor for Frontiers in Chemistry journal (SCI indexed) in the Green and Sustainable Chemistry Section. He is the recipient of Most Cited Review Paper Award for his review article “A review on the production of fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass through conventional and enzymatic route–A comparison” published & downloaded for the period 2016-2020 in International Journal of Green Energy organized by 13th International Green Energy Conference on 18th July, 2021 in Beijing, China. He also received International Teaching Excellence Award in Biochemical Engineering in Global Annual Education & Research Excellence Awards 2021 by Centre for Professional Advancement (CPACE, AP) on 18th December 2021. During his Ph.D., he received the Best Oral Presentation Award in a one-day workshop on ''Current Trends in Scientific Research" at Research Scholars' Day 2018 organized by the National Institute of Technology Agartala, India. He is a potential reviewer of various SCI-indexed International journals. He attended several conferences of National and International repute. Banhisikha Debnath is a Researcher in the Centre for the Environment, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG), India. She obtained B.Tech in Civil Engineering in 2017 from the National Institute of Technology Agartala (NITA), India and MTech in Environmental Engineering in 2019 from NITA, India. Her research work focuses on the conversion of biomass into value-added products and their health and environmental applications. She has numerous publications in different international journals of repute and several book chapters.