Academics
Faculty
Dr. Sharbani KaushikAssistant Professor
Bio
Dr. Sharbani Kaushik is a renowned biotechnology researcher with expertise in bioenergy, bioelectronics, and membrane proteins. She completed her Ph.D. in the School of Energy Science and Engineering from IIT Guwahati. Her work in renewable energy and bioanalytical applications includes pioneering research on microbial fuel cells and biofuel cell biosensing devices. As a postdoctoral researcher at The Ohio State University, USA, she made significant contributions to chemistry and biochemistry, especially in membrane proteins, synthetic biology and drug discovery, resulting in multiple high-impact publications. She has also served as an Assistant Professor at the Regional Institute of Science and Technology in Meghalaya, where she introduced new courses and mentored students in biosensors and biomedical instrumentation.
Dr. Kaushik has received numerous accolades, including the Young Scientist Award from the Materials Research Society of India and the ISEES Best PhD Thesis Award from the International Society of Energy Environment and Sustainability.. Her excellent presentations and publications at international conferences reflect her ability to communicate complex scientific concepts effectively.
In addition to her research, Dr. Kaushik has held administrative roles, such as Travel Award Co-Chair for the Postdoctoral Association at the Ohio State University and Departmental PhD Representative to the Student Academic Board, IIT Guwahati. Her extensive publications in prestigious journals and book chapters highlight her contributions to sustainable energy and membrane protein biogenesis.
Dr. Kaushik remains dedicated to advancing science through her research and education, driving innovations in bioelectrochemical devices and sustainable energy solutions.
Research Areas
Biomaterials, Bioenergy, Electrochemical devices, Biosensors, Microbial Electrolysis, CO2 conversion
Honors and Accolades
2019 : ISEES Best PhD Thesis Award -2020 by the International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability. https://isees.in/Best%20Thesis%20Awardees.htm
2019 : 1st Prize in 3-minute thesis presentation (3MT) organized by IEEE, IIT Guwahati.
2018 : Highlight of the alcohol-biosensor work in the National news https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/iit-guwahati-disposable-biosensor-selectively-detects-alcohol/article24000511.ece
2018 : Best Poster award (1st prize) in the ICRC-NISTADS Northeast Energy Conclave organized jointly by Interdisciplinary Climate Research Center, Cotton University and CSIR-National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies, Delhi held at Cotton University, Guwahati, Assam, India, during June 6-7.
2018 : Third Prize in RedStart- the Startup challenge sponsored by Numaligarh Refinery Limited Guwahati, held during Feb 8-11, Research Conclave 2018, IIT Guwahati
2018 : Best Oral presentation (1st prize) in the 4th International Symposium on Advances in Sustainable Polymers (ASP 17) organized by Center of Excellence for Sustainable Polymers (Dept. of Chemical Engineering), IIT Guwahati, India and Polymer Processing Academy, India during Jan 8-11.
2017 : Young Scientist Award 2017 for significant contribution to advanced materials research, awarded by Materials Research Society of India (MRSI), Kolkata Chapter, held in IIEST, Shibpur, during 11th October.
2017 : Best Poster award in the 5th International Conference on Advanced Nanomaterial and Nanotechnology (ICANN 2017), organized by Centre for Nanotechnology, IIT Guwahati during Dec 18-21.
Selected Publications
(i) International Journals
1. “YidC as a potential antibiotic target”. Ross E Dalbey, Sharbani Kaushik, Andreas Kuhn, 2023. BBA Molecular Cell Research.
2. “Bacterial Signal Peptides- Navigating the Journey of Proteins”. Sharbani Kaushik, Haoze He, Ross E. Dalbey., 2022. Frontiers in Physiology.
3 . “Polarity/Charge as a Determinant of Translocase Requirements for Membrane Protein Insertion”. Balasubramani Hariharan, Eva Pross, Raunak Soman, Sharbani Kaushik, Andreas Kuhn and Ross E. Dalbey, 2020. BBA Biomembranes.
4. “Silk Fibroin: An Emerging Biocompatible Material for Application of Enzymes and Whole Cells in Bioelectronics and Bioanalytical Sciences”. Sharbani Kaushik, Phurpa Dema Thungon and Pranab Goswami, 2020. ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering, 6 (8), 4337-4355.
5. “Composite polymer coated magnetic nanoparticles based anode enhances dye degradation and power production in microbial fuel cells”. Mrinal Kumar Sarma, Mohammed Ghulam Abdul Quadir, Rupam Bhaduri, Sharbani Kaushik, Pranab Goswami, 2018. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 119, 94-102.
6. “Bacterial Membrane Depolarization-Linked Fuel Cell Potential Burst as Signal for Selective Detection of Alcohol”. Sharbani Kaushik and Pranab Goswami, 2018. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 10 (22), 18630-18640.
7. “FRET-guided surging of cyanobacterial photosystems improves and stabilizes current in photosynthetic microbial fuel cell”. Sharbani Kaushik, Mrinal K. Sarma and Pranab Goswami, 2017. Journal of Materials Chemistry A 5, 7885–7895.
8. “Thin films of silk fibroin and its blend with chitosan strongly promote biofilm growth of Synechococcus sp. BDU 140432”. Sharbani Kaushik, Mrinal K. Sarma, P.D. Thungon, M. Santhosh and Pranab Goswami, 2016. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 479, 251–259.
9. “Cyanobacteria: A metabolic power house for harvesting solar energy to produce bio-electricity and biofuels”. Mrinal K. Sarma, Sharbani Kaushik* and Pranab Goswami, 2016. Biomass and Bioenergy 90, 187–201. *equal first author contribution.
(ii) Book Chapters
1. Chapter: Bacterial Protein Transport Pathways and analogous conserved pathways in Eukaryotes. Philip Kauffman, Sharbani Kaushik, Andreas Kuhn, and Ross E. Dalbey (In Press), 2023.
2. Chapter : Trends in Bio-Derived Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering. Dimple Chouhan*, Sharbani Kaushik*, Deepika Arora*., Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. Springer, Singapore, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0002-9_6 *equal first author contribution.
3. Chapter 10: Biofuel Cells as an Emerging Biosensing Device, Advanced Materials and Techniques and Bioanalytical Applications. Sharbani Kaushik, Caraline Ann Jacob and Pranab Goswami., Taylor and Francis Group, 2020, ISBN 9781003083856. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003083856
Google Scholar Link
https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=ZhZlPWcAAAAJ&hl=en
Orchid Link
admissions@mitwpu.edu.in 
