Dr. Deepak Kumar Jha
Dr. Deepak Kumar Jha’s research in agricultural science addresses both pre- and post-harvest stresses, focusing on the physiological and biochemical effects of biotic and abiotic factors across a range of root and fruit crops, including tomatoes, carrots, peppers, melons, and onions. His primary interest lies in stress-induced activation of biosynthetic pathways and the modulation of metabolic flux towards secondary metabolite precursors, which are crucial for synthesizing health-beneficial compounds. Currently, Dr. Jha’s work is centered on the physiological and biochemical aspects of plant development, with an emphasis on improving the nutritional quality and resilience of crops. His research on abiotic stress hormesis—particularly its beneficial effects on extending storability and maintaining the postharvest quality of tomatoes—has provided valuable insights into how stress alters fruit physiology, modifies metabolite pools, and enhances plant stress responses. Notably, his studies demonstrate how stress factors like light exposure, temperature, and ultrasound, when applied at hormetic doses, influence the accumulation of beneficial compounds in tomatoes. Dr. Jha’s interdisciplinary approach, combining plant physiology, stress physiology, metabolomics, and sustainable agriculture, continues to drive innovations aimed at improving crop productivity and quality amid changing environmental conditions.
Web presence
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=4Bx24BoAAAAJ&hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepak-kumar-jha-65a5879b
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9769-666X
Dr. Braulio Cervantes
Dr. Cervantes has an academic background as a Biochemical Engineer and obtained his Master’s and PhD in Food Sciences from the Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo (CIAD), Mexico. In 2016, he started a postdoc at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (Mexico), where he evaluated the content of liposoluble bioactive compounds in avocados using analytical techniques such as HPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS, and FTIR. In 2019, Dr. Cervantes joined the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosi (Mexico) and developed research projects related to the content of bioactive compounds in pepper, prickly pear, and avocado crops and their absorption through the gastrointestinal tract by in vitro digestions. In 2018, he won the National Award for Food Science and Technology in Mexico, and since 2016, he has been a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI), the most recognized body of researchers in Mexico. Dr. Cervantes has extensive experience in the management and maintenance of analytical equipment (HPLC, UPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS, FTIR) and in the development of analytical methods. He has published scientific articles and is a reviewer of manuscripts in high-impact journals in the Food Science area. Recently, Dr. Cervantes joined the Vegetable and Fruits Improvement Center, where he is working on projects related to the application of nanoparticles in pepper crops to improve their resistance to drought and metabolomics and human health studies in tomato crops.
Web presence
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com.mx/citations?user=NpZKtFYAAAAJ&hl=es
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/braulio-cervantes-paz-b28b94173?originalSubdomain=mx
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6976-9684
Dr. Vikas Dadwal
Dr. Dadwal applied an interdisciplinary approach, integrating biochemistry, plant and food science, analytical chemistry, and pharmacology. This extensive approach enabled him to gain in-depth knowledge about the role of plant bioactive compounds in human health, improve extraction processes, perform metabolomics using UHPLC-QTOF-IMS, develop and novel hydrogels and emulsions based controlled drug delivery, conduct in vitro cell culture studies, and investigate in vivo antioxidant pharmacokinetics.
Dr. Dadwal is presently working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Texas A&M University’s Vegetables and Fruits Improvement Centre (VFIC), where he is working on developing novel analytical methods for metabolite characterization in plants, microorganisms, and animals, utilizing both targeted and untargeted approaches. In addition, he is focusing on developing pre/probiotic models and identifying postbiotics. His research seeks to comprehend the complexity of the gut microbiome using postbiotic chemistry, with the ultimate goal of preventing illnesses based on diet.
Web presence
Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=O4uhLz0AAAAJ&hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikas-dadwal-phd-61662b49/
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2709-0486
Dr. Debanjan Chatterjee
Debanjan Chatterjee, PhD, is a dedicated researcher specializing in natural products chemistry and pharmacological studies. He earned his B.Pharm in 2017, followed by an M.S. (Pharm) from the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad, in 2019. He completed his PhD in 2024 under the mentorship of Prof. Inder Pal Singh at NIPER, Mohali, focusing on natural products. Currently, he serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Texas A&M AgriLife Research.
Debanjan’s research delves into the chemical basis of detoxification processes for toxic medicinal plants. Utilizing advanced analytical techniques such as quantitative NMR (qNMR), LC-HRMS, and HPTLC, he has made significant contributions to secondary metabolite profiling. His expertise extends to isolating and characterizing bioactive natural compounds, which have supported key projects of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission. Beyond his core work in natural product chemistry, Dr. Chatterjee is actively involved in computational drug design, network pharmacology, and toxicology studies. His interdisciplinary approach integrates in silico methodologies with traditional medicine, pushing the boundaries of natural product research. A scientist driven by curiosity and precision, Dr. Chatterjee aims to tackle critical challenges in science and technology, leveraging his expertise in natural products to advance health and innovation.
Web presence
Debanjan_google scholar
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9wdVDiUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Debanjan_Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/debanjan-chatterjee-30463412a/
Debanjan_orcid
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2621-7553