About Us
The department of Biotechnology was established in 2003 with a view to develop a Centre of Excellence in Education and Research in Biotechnology. In so doing, the M.Tech programme in Biotechnology was initiated with the students who qualified in the Combined Entrance Examination in Biotechnology
(CEEB) conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. It is pertinent to mention that the M.Tech programme at U.Tech and Anna University, Chennai are only two supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India. The course has got a national character. In addition, the department runs three other programmes namely M.Sc. in Molecular Biology, M.Sc. in Microbiology and M.Sc. in Genetics. The curriculum of the course (four semesters) comprises Chemistry, Microbiology, Genetics, Genetic Engineering, Protein Engineering, Downstream Processing, Bioethics and Intellectual Property Right (IPR) among others. Each semester has got 25 credits. The department has got updated infrastructure and a team of excellent faculty members. Their expertise encompasses various facets of frontier areas in science.
Unique Features :
- Earn while you Learn programme for students
- Credit Exchange programme with University of Pune
- Fellowship : Rs. 12,000/- per month granted by DBT (Govt. of India) for M.Tech in Biotechnology students who are admitted through GAT-B .
Courses
- M.Tech. in Biotechnology
- M.Sc. in Molecular Biology | Apply through CET( Group D )
- M.Sc. in Microbiology | Apply through CET( Group D )
- M.Sc. in Genetics | Apply through CET( Group D )
- M.Sc in Biotechnology | Apply through CET( Group D )
- B.Sc in Biotechnology | Apply through CET( Group C )
AdmissionAdmission to M.Sc.
Admission to M.Tech. in Biotechnology
Admission to M.Sc. Program in:
Microbiology
Molecular Biology
Genetics
M.Sc. in Molecular Biology (ten seats), M.Sc. in Microbiology (fifteen seats) and M.Sc. in Genetics (ten seats) is offered
Eligibility criteria for the courses:
For M.Sc. Programs in Molecular Biology/ Microbiology/Genetics
B.Sc. with honours in Zoology/ Botany/ Physiology/ Microbiology/
Biotechnology/ Molecular Biology/ Biochemistry/ Genetics/ Physics/
Chemistry/ Mathematics/ Computer Science and not less than 55% marks in
the honours subject.
Candidates appearing for their final year examination, or whose results are
awaited, may also apply provided that, if selected, they
will be admitted provisionally subject to submission of their final
mark sheet by the cut-off date to be notified later by the university,
failing which the provisional admission shall stand canceled.
Fellowship:
Application Process:
Candidates have to apply through CET examination
Admission to M.Tech. Program in:
Biotechnology
M.Tech. in Biotechnology (thirty seats), is offered
Eligibility criteria for the courses:
B.Pharm/ B.Tech ./B.E.(Biotechnology, Biochemical engineering, Biomedical engineering, Industrial biotechnology, Chemical engineering,
Pharmaceutical technology, Chemical technology, Food technology, Food engineering)/M.Sc.(Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Botany, Zoology, Microbiology, Genetics, Life sciences, Bioengineering) Minimum of 60% marks or equivalent CGPA from any recognized
university. Admission to reserved category candidates will be as per Government of India rules
.
Studentship Support:
Rs. 12000/- per month for AT-B candidates. The continuation of stipend for the second year of the programme is subject to satisfactory
progress of the student
Application Process:
Candidates have to apply through GAT-B or PGET examination
Faculty and Staff
Name | Department | Designation |
---|---|---|
Dr.. Raja Banerjee | Department of Biotechnology | Professor |
Dr. Arup Mukherjee | Department of Biotechnology | Adjunct Professor |
Dr. Jaya Bandyopadhyay HoD | Department of Biotechnology | Associate Professor |
Dr. Rina Rani Ray , | Department of Biotechnology | Associate Professor |
Dr. Ranjita Biswas | Department of Biotechnology | Associate Professor |
Dr. Tufan Naiya | Department of Biotechnology | Assistant Professor |
Dr. Debdut Naskar | Department of Biotechnology | Assistant Professor |
Dr. Smarajit Das | Department of Biotechnology | Assistant Professor |
Dr. Suryyani Deb | Department of Biotechnology | Assistant Professor (UGC) |
Dr. Amit Kumar Chakraborti | Department of Biotechnology | Faculty |
Sayantani Majumder | Department of Biotechnology | Faculty |
ResearchOngoing projects
Bioinformatic tools and comparative microbial community analysis- funded By Department of Science & Technology, India, under DST-DAAD Personal Exchange Program Genetic Resource Management of East Calcutta Wetlands - funded by Department of Science & Technology, India under DST Fast Track Scheme for young Scientists.
Facilities
Infrastructure Developed
Laboratory
space, covering a total area of approximately 2000
sq. feet, has been divided into 5 laboratories.
A) Basic Molecular Biology (including
recombinant DNA Technology)
B) Immunotechnology
C) Protein Engineering and Enzyme
Technology
D) Microbial Technology
E) Biochemistry
Wet Lab Equipments
Practical classes are being carried out as a part
of the students� laboratory course-work in the
aforesaid laboratories. Additionally, separate tissue
culture room have been set up to carry out plant tissue
culture. Separate space for faculties, lecture theatre,
and seminar, have also been allotted in the department.
Bioinformatics Lab Facilities
Bioinformatics Softwares
Sequence AnalysisSoftware
EMBOSS (along with EMBA SSY package)
Helix packing
ClustalW
netblast
Visualization and Modeling Software
SpdbVIEWER
Rasmol
Raster3D
Yasara
Energy Minimization Software
GROMACS
CHARMM (under processing)
GAMESS
Chemistry Software
MolWorks
Docking Software
AutoDoc
Drug Designing Software
Cerius2
Bioinformatics LTSP server
Provides full GUI forwarding to all thin clients
No. of terminals (thin clients) | 20 (PXE enabled) |
Server | 2 x IBM x206 |
HDD | 20 x 160 GB Serial ATA (RAID I configuration) |
RAM | 2 GB ECC DDR2 |
EtherNet card | 2 x 10/100/1000 ethernet cards |
Operating System | Fedora Core 4 |
Other Servers/PCs | 2 x 226, 2 x 160 GB Serial ATA HDD, 2 GB ECC DDR2 RAM, 2 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet cards IBM Power PC (P630) |
West Bengal University of Technology - members of the BioGrid, setup by the IIT, New Delhi, for high performance cluster computing ScFBio
Future Plans
To setup two LTSP servers serving 10 terminals (thin clients) each, both the LTSP servers to be connected to two dedicated application servers loaded with different Bioinformatics softwares of regular use. This is in view to make the servers� response time the minimum.
LTSP server | 2 (IBM x206, 160GB serial ATA HDD |
Application Server | 2 ( x226, 2 x 160 GB Serial ATA HDD, 2 GB ECC DDR2 RAM 2 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet cards |

Other Facilities Developed
- Cold room (4oC)
- Incubation room (37oC)
- Culture room (20oC)
- Chemistry Laboratory