Vinod Kumar

Biography

Dr Vinod Kumar is a Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Biomanufacturing in Magan Centre for Applied Mycology at Cranfield University, United Kingdom. He obtained his Master (Chemistry) and PhD (Biochemical Engineering & Biotechnology) degrees from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India. Before joining Cranfield University, he was a Marie Curie Fellow in Synthetic Biology Research Centre at University of Nottingham, UK. Vinod’s research activities sit at the nexus of Metabolic/Pathway Engineering, Bioprocessing and Waste Valorisation.

At Cranfield University he leads a research group focusing on development of low carbon biomanufacturing technologies for overproduction of platform/commodity chemicals and fuels from carbonaceous agro-industrial waste streams rich in renewable carbon. His expertise in developing cleaner synthetic routes, designing robust cell factories and processes makes the production of a range of chemicals possible in a way that maximises efficiency and minimises waste with a circular economy approach.

He has published more than 200 artilces in peer reviewed high-quality international journals/publishers attracting a cumulative citation of more than 8,900 with an h-index of 55 till date. His research work has resulted in a spin out company C-Source Renewables (CSR). CSR works on alternative feedstocks which do not compete with the food ecosystem and non-reliant on natural resources, repurposing biowaste through sustainable approach, bringing it back to the shelf. He is Advisor for Commonwealth Scholarships/Fellowships applications for the UK and acted as Pool of Experts and panel member for Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, UK.

RSC affiliations

• Advisory board, Sustainable Energy & Fuels