Dr. Mihir Kumar Purkait is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG). Presently he is Chair professor of National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), Min. of Jal Shakti (Govt. of India). He is energetically involved in frontier areas of Chemical Engineering with his major research interest in the field of advanced separation processes and material science. Prof. Purkait has done outstanding contribution in translational and applied research. Quality and quantity of his research is reflected in terms of large number of publications, patents, technology transfer, start-ups, projects, consultancies and involvement with various national and international scientific committees. His work has remarkable relevance in societal as well as industrial sectors. He has more than 20 years of experience in research & academics and published more than 300 papers in different reputed international journals with h-index of 69 and 12 granted patents and made 3 technology transfer. He has authored 15 books, completed 42 sponsored projects/consultancies from various funding agencies. Prof. Purkait has supervised 22 PhD students on fundamental and applied research. Dr. Ankush D. Sontakke is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in the Department of Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG). He received his Master's Degree (2016) in Chemical Engineering from Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, Punjab and B. Tech (2013) from Jawaharlal Darda Institute of Engineering and Technology, Yavatmal, Maharashtra. He worked at Multi Organics Private Limited, Chandrapur, Maharashtra, for 1 year (2013-14). Also, he served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Mohali, Punjab, during 2016-2017. His research activities are focused on Graphene and related materials such as Graphene oxide (GO), Graphene oxide nanoscrolls (GONS), Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and their application in drug delivery systems (DDS). He is working on the advancement in DDS using various structural, morphological and functional modifications of carbon-based nanocarriers to improve their surface characteristics, biocompatibility, toxicity toward cancer cells, loading and release behavior. He has been closely working in the area of carbon-based nanocarriers and nanohybrids for their sustainable synthesis as well as application in anticancer drug delivery and stimuli-responsive carriers for the controlled release of drugs. He is also exploring strategies for therapeutic targeting and controlled drug delivery. He has published many peer-reviewed articles in reputed international journals and published several book chapters. Mr. Anweshan received his B. Tech (2012) degree in Chemical Engineering and Technology from the National Institute of Technology Durgapur, West Bengal, India. After completing his B. Tech, he joined the Tinplate Company of India Limited (manufacturing sector) and continued his services there as a Senior Engineer for three years (2012-2016). He then explored the start-up ecosystem growing in India and joined the Grow Green India Foundation as a Junior Research Associate and then transferred to RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd., an enterprise of the foundation, as a Research Associate (2016-2018). He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India. His research work is dedicated to the detection of contaminants in water and wastewater using low-cost green synthesized nanoparticles and their subsequent treatment through electrocoagulation. He is working on the fabrication of metallic oxide nanomaterials via green pathways for sensing trace organic compounds and pathogens in water. Presently, he is working on synthesizing carbon-based nanohybrids focused on metal-impregnated nanohybrids and hydrogels for their applications as absorbents to remove pathogens. Further, his works involve the design of standalone electrocoagulation reactors and integrated systems for the remediation of arsenic, fluoride, and iron-infested groundwater. He has several patents and published many peer-reviewed articles in reputed international journals.
