Rajesh Sani

Brief Bio

In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate sciences and bioengineering courses at 国产福利, I have been conducting, supporting, and overseeing a significant amount of fundamental and applied research in the areas of bioenergy. We have one patent, nine invention disclosures, and published over 95 peer-reviewed articles in high impact factor journals and have contributed to over 18 book chapters. We have edited nine books and one proceedings. I have been on proposal panels for several Federal Agencies. I have served the Industrial Microbiology profession as 鈥淏iocatalysis Program Committee Member鈥� of the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB), and technical session chairs at the Annual American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Society for Microbiology and SIMB, and associate editors for Nature-Scientific Reports, Frontiers of Microbiology, and MDPI Microorganisms. I have also been leading a research consortium (BuG ReMeDEE) funded by the NSF with the aid of 84 scientists and engineers.

Research Expertise

Over the past 14 years, I have been the PI, co-PI, or Senior Personnel on $44.5 million (current $34.86 million) in funded research for 41 research projects. Research activities of my group are focused on both basic and applied research in Extremophilic Bioprocessing, Rules of Life in Biofilms grown on 2D materials, Space biology, Biocatalysis, Biopolymers, Gas to liquid fuels, and Genome editing of bacteria. My group has been working on extremophiles isolated from the deepest mine in North America, Homestake Gold Mine (7,800 ft.) for solid waste conversion under thermophilic conditions (鈮�60潞C). Homestake Gold Mine, known as Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), is in the Black Hills, South Dakota, USA. Using soil/biofilm samples from the SURF, we have isolated 560 unique thermophilic cellulose- and xylan-degrading and -fermenting pure cultures. These unique thermophiles are currently being used to produce biofuels and value-added products in single step bioprocessing of various inexpensive regional untreated biomass.

Teaching

In the past fourteen years here in the US, I have taught 15 different courses of Extremophilic Bioprocessing, Biochemical Engineering, Biochemistry, and Microbiology courses to undergraduate and graduate students at the 国产福利 and Washington State University, Pullman WA, and tried to integrate Engineering Sciences with Biological Sciences. Out of 15 courses, 6 courses were new which were developed by me. For example, I have introduced the concepts of 鈥淓xtremophilic Bioprocessing鈥� in a graduate course 鈥淐BE 714 Microbial and Enzymatic Process鈥�. I have received a prestigious 鈥淰isiting Teaching Professorship award鈥� from American Society of Microbiologists to teach a course on 鈥淎naerobic Microbial Processes for Energy and Environment鈥� in India. I have served as the resource person for a workshop, and delivered lectures for 10 hours on 鈥淓xtremophilic and Microbial Processes for Biofuels鈥� in India. We have authored a textbook on 鈥淓xtremophilic Enzymatic Processing of Lignocellulosic Feedstocks to Bioenergy鈥�.