Alka Rani | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Alka Rani | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

Orcid Profile 

Educational Details

Dr. Alka Rani holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture (Hons.) from Punjab Agricultural University, where she graduated in 2014 with an impressive 88.8%. She continued her academic journey at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, earning her M.Sc. in Agricultural Physics in 2016 with a distinction of 90.3%. Dr. Rani completed her Ph.D. in the same field in 2023, achieving a commendable 89.4%. Her strong educational foundation has equipped her with a deep understanding of soil science and its critical applications in sustainable agriculture.

Work experience:

Dr. Alka Rani has held significant positions in various esteemed institutions. She began her career as a Scientist at the ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management in Hyderabad from January to April 2019. Following that, she worked as a Scientist (Trainee) at the ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning in Nagpur for a brief period in mid-2019. Since August 2019, Dr. Rani has been serving as a Scientist at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science in Bhopal, where she continues to contribute to research in soil science and sustainable agriculture. Her roles have been recognized within the pay scale of PB-3 (15,600–39,100) with a grade pay of 6,000, reflecting her expertise and dedication to the field.

Awards:

Dr. Alka Rani has received numerous awards and fellowships throughout her academic and professional career, highlighting her dedication to research in soil science. In 2024, she was honored with the Young Scientist Award at the 39th M.P. Young Scientist Congress and a Fellowship for Training of Young Scientists from the M.P. Council of Science and Technology. Her research presentations have also garnered recognition, including Best Poster Presentation Awards at the International Conference on Sustainable Natural Resource Management in 2023 and the National Seminar on Agrophysics for Smart Agriculture in 2022. Dr. Rani was awarded the 3rd Best Paper Presentation at the National Symposium on i-GEOMATICS in 2021 and received multiple accolades during her undergraduate studies, including a Gold Medal for securing the first position in her B.Sc. Agri. (Hons.) from Punjab Agricultural University in 2014. Her accomplishments reflect her commitment to excellence in agricultural research and education.

Top Notable Publications

Spatiotemporal Variations in Near-Surface Soil Water Content across Agroecological Regions of Mainland India: 1979–2022 (44 Years)

Authors: [Author names not provided]

Year: 2024

Journal: Remote Sensing

DOI: 10.3390/rs16163108

Identification of salt-affected soils using remote sensing data through random forest technique: a case study from India

Authors: [Author names not provided]

Year: 2022

Journal: Arabian Journal of Geosciences

DOI: 10.1007/s12517-022-09682-3

Machine learning for soil moisture assessment

Authors: [Author names not provided]

Year: 2022

Book Chapter: [Publisher and book details not provided]

DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-323-85214-2.00001-X

Vishal Kumar Parida | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

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Assist Prof Dr. Vishal Kumar Parida | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award 

Google Scholar Profile

Orcid Profile 

Educational Details

Vishal is currently a Ph.D. Research Scholar (08/2020 – 06/2024) at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in the School of Environmental Science and Engineering. His research focuses on the Development of a Hybrid Technology for Removal of Pharmaceutical Contaminants from Municipal and Hospital Wastewater. This work includes the synthesis of advanced photocatalysts for contaminant degradation, evaluation of reactor performance, and the synchronous removal of multiple pharmaceutical contaminants using novel photocatalytic systems. His research is supervised by Prof. Ashok Kumar Gupta and Dr. Shamik Chowdhury.

He earned his Master of Technology (M. Tech) in Environmental Engineering from the National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology (NIFFT), Ranchi (08/2018 – 11/2020), where his thesis focused on Recent Trends on Fluoride Removal from Groundwater. He conducted detailed literature reviews, analyzed fluoride levels in groundwater samples, and explored various removal techniques.

Vishal also holds a Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) in Civil Engineering from the College of Engineering Bhubaneswar (06/2012 – 08/2016), where he worked on projects related to water fountains and geotextile applications in pavement design. He gained industry exposure through technical visits and workshops, including seminars on wastewater treatment and advancements in road design. His academic journey started at Kendriya Vidyalayas in Balasore and Rangapahara Cantt., where he completed his high school education.

Research Experience

As a research scholar, Vishal has undertaken various roles in experimental research and data analysis. His key tasks include conducting detailed literature reviews to identify research gaps, fabricating materials and reactors for lab experiments, and developing novel techniques for environmental remediation. He has worked on projects involving the synthesis of photocatalysts, evaluation of their performance in removing pharmaceutical contaminants, and the design of continuous photocatalytic reactors for large-scale wastewater treatment. His research has been presented in reports and peer-reviewed journals.

Vishal has also been involved in fieldwork and laboratory analysis during his postgraduate and undergraduate studies, such as analyzing fluoride levels in groundwater and studying geotextile applications in civil engineering. His hands-on experience extends to technical visits, workshops, and industrial exposure, where he gained valuable insights into wastewater treatment, road design, and biofuels.

Research Interest

Development of advanced photocatalysts for wastewater treatment.

Hybrid technologies for the removal of pharmaceutical contaminants.

Fluoride removal from groundwater.

Sustainable water purification and wastewater management techniques.

Applications of nanotechnology and photocatalysis in environmental remediation.

Top Notable Publications

Emerging contaminants in wastewater: A critical review on occurrence, existing legislations, risk assessment, and sustainable treatment alternatives

Authors: VK Parida, D Saidulu, A Majumder, A Srivastava, B Gupta, AK Gupta

Journal: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

Year: 2021

Citation: 215

DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.105966

Treatment of saline wastewater using physicochemical, biological, and hybrid processes: Insights into inhibition mechanisms, treatment efficiencies and performance enhancement

Authors: A Srivastava, VK Parida, A Majumder, B Gupta, AK Gupta

Journal: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

Year: 2021

Citation: 114

DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.105775

An assessment of hospital wastewater and biomedical waste generation, existing legislations, risk assessment, treatment processes, and scenario during COVID-19

Authors: VK Parida, D Sikarwar, A Majumder, AK Gupta

Journal: Journal of Environmental Management

Year: 2022

Citation: 100

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114609

Facile synthesis of 2D/0D Bi2O3/MnO2 Z-scheme heterojunction for enhanced visible light-assisted photocatalytic degradation of acetaminophen

Authors: VK Parida, SK Srivastava, S Chowdhury, AK Gupta

Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal

Year: 2023

Citation: 34

DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2023.144969

Facile synthesis of a 2D/3D Z-scheme Cu-g-C3N4/BiOBr heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin under visible light irradiation

Authors: VK Parida, R Dhakad, S Chowdhury, AK Gupta

Journal: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

Year: 2023

Citation: 12

DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2023.111569

A critical assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in aqueous environment: Existence, detection, survival, wastewater-based surveillance, inactivation methods, and effective management

Authors: VK Parida, D Saidulu, A Bhatnagar, AK Gupta, MS Afzal

Journal: Chemosphere

Year: 2023

Citation: 12

DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138503

A review on nanomaterial-based heterogeneous photocatalysts for removal of contaminants from water

Authors: VK Parida, SK Srivastava, AK Gupta, A Rawat

Journal: Materials Express

Year: 2023

Citation: 8

DOI: 10.21494/TEWKS.2023.0173

Visible Light-Assisted Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole on 2D/0D Sulfur-Doped Bi2O3/MnO2 Z-Scheme Heterojunction Immobilized Photocatalysts

Authors: VK Parida, SK Srivastava, S Chowdhury, AK Gupta

Journal: Langmuir

Year: 2023

Citation: 6

DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02786