Dr. Joydeep Mukherjee is a Professor in the School of Environmental Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. He teaches Biochemical Engineering and Bioremediation Technology to M. Tech. (Environmental Biotechnology) and Advanced Diploma in Industrial Safety & Environmental Management students.
He has a post-graduate (Master of Technology) degree in Biotechnology from Jadavpur University. During his post-graduate dissertation work, he explored the mechanism for the changes in biomembrane fluidity affected by a vasodilatory drug. During his doctoral work in Jadavpur University (1993-97), Prof. Mukherjee was awarded a fellowship of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India) to investigate the L-asparaginase enzyme of Enterobacter aerogenes as a potential anti-leukemic agent. He was also awarded the “Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst” (DAAD) scholarship to work on the bioprocessing aspects of the production of this enzyme as well as fluorescence monitoring during the growth of Enterobacter aerogenes with Prof. Thomas Scheper at the University of Hannover, Germany. During the next two-year postdoctoral stay (1998-2000) at the University of Hannover, he worked on the application of oxygen vectors to Claviceps purpurea fermentation and directed biosynthesis in Claviceps purpurea, a fungus producing ergot alkaloids, an important therapeutic agent for neuronal disorders
Prof. Mukherjee started working as an independent researcher in Jadavpur University in 2001. The biotechnological applications of the microbial biodiversity of the Sundarbans were unidentified till his research group ventured into the largest tidal mangrove forest in the world. During his sabbatical stay at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (Jan 2007 to Dec 2007), financed by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, Prof. Mukherjee purified and characterized the collagenase enzyme of the pathogen of the Great Barrier Reef sponge, Rhopaloiedes odorabile. His current research activities include (i) exploration of the microbial diversity of the Sundarbans for biotechnological applications. Focused areas are actinobacteria, commercial enzymes from bacteria and cyanobacteria of the Sundarbans (ii) biofilm formation and novel reactor systems for the cultivation of intertidal microorganisms (in collaboration with Technical University Kaiserslautern, Germany) (iii) bioplastic production using halophilic microorganisms (in collaboration with Mend Earth Biotech, a start-up company incubated at IIT Kanpur) (v) bioconversion of rural slaughterhouse wastes to organic fertilizer.
Prof. Mukherjee is an executive council member of the West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology.