Rashmi Chandra

•Botanist, ecologist, and arborist enthusiast

•Core expertise in the field of botany and environment.

•+10 years in providing mentorship in a collaborative environment

•Reporting on project finance and information analysis for decision-making.

•Experienced in managing the development of proposals, including field programs and budgets

•Excellent communication skills evidenced by 20+ conference presentations, 30+ research papers, teaching, and active engagement in science outreach. Being improved by working in interdisciplinary teams in multicultural environments.

Postdoctoral Researcher 

 (University of Waterloo)

• Microalgal cultivation in photobioreactor using membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) technology for efficient and cost-effective CO2 delivery and bioproduct recovery in form of pigment and oil.
• Successfully completed from initiation to result in delivery to its final report submission of the project entitled “Development of disruptive anaerobic technologies for waste diversion and resource recovery” funded by Ontario Research Fund: Research Excellence (ORF-RE).
• Selected as Mitacs postdoc fellow and working on Mitacs Accelerate Proposal entitled “Production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) copolymers from hemp stems” Application Ref. IT26370.
• Accomplish completion of an NSERC-funded project focused on the production of bioplastic from food waste in collaboration with an academic institution and industry.
• Handled project conceptualization, preparation, and submission to the Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) and secured funding of $1,100,000.
• Participated and won DND 4597-E - Pop up City Contest: Integrating Energy, Water, and Waste Management Systems for Deployed Camps and secure the finding DND.
• Submitted two project proposals for ORF-RE, and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Assistant professor 

(Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico)

• Developed a biorefinery approach using cyanobacteria for the recovery of UV protectants and biodiesel.
• Conceptualized, designed, optimized, and operated 50 L flat panel photobioreactor and 1000 L algal raceway pond for algal cultivation and product recovery in form of thiamine, riboflavin, phycocyanin, and phycocyanin experience gained while working for a project supported by CONACYT (Mexican Council of Science and Technology) under the project Phycopigments.
• Multitasking, and effective communication abilities demonstrated by handling teaching 2 courses at the graduate level along with running a research lab.

Visiting Scientist 

(Arizona State University )

• Algal Electro-selective fermentation for product recovery (biodiesel and pigment) experience gained as visiting scientist at Arizona state university while handling a project from U.S. National Scientific Foundation (award number 1509933).

PROJECTS DURING Ph.D.     

• Biohydrogen production from bench scale to pilot plant while working on the project funded by Ministry (MNRE). 
• Algal biodiesel production while working on a mission mode project from funded by CSIR.
• Single-handedly successfully developed photosynthetic microbial fuel cell under the twinning project from the Ministry of Science & Technology.

Ph.D. Biological Sciences, AcSIR at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (2015)

M.S. Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India (2009)

B.S. Botany (Hons), Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India (2007)