Pooja Ghosh, Ph.D.

Dr. Pooja Ghosh pursued her PhD in the field of ‘Environmental microbiology and biotechnology’ from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India. Her thesis was: 'Sequential treatment of landfill leachate by white-rot fungi and bacteria: An integrated approach with process optimization and toxico-chemical analysis'. After her PhD, she received the DST-Inspire Faculty Award, which is the highest post-doctoral fellowship given by the Government of India for planning and implementing own research project as a Principal Investigator. With this fellowship, she joined Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, as a post-doctoral researcher. Her work involved enhancing the biomethanation potential of municipal solid waste via co-digestion, and carrying out a life-cycle assessment study of anaerobic digestion pathway and other MSW management practices used in India.

Dr. Ghosh is currently employed as an Associate Professor in the Centre for Rural Development and Technology (CRDT) at IIT Delhi. Her ongoing research is on environmental risk assessment and management in general, with a focus on emerging contaminants (microplastics, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, endocrine disrupting compounds) and finding efficient bioremediation solutions. 

She has published in reputed journals such as Trends in Biotechnology, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Journal of Cleaner Production, Bioresource Technology, Environmental Pollution, Chemosphere, International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, and Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Her research work has been communicated in popular national newspaper and magazine outlets such as Mail Today and The Week, leading to scientific communication on MSW management in India and its impact on the natural and living environment.