Rohit James
@rohitjames
Researcher building Bacillus spore-displayed enzymes for applied biotechnology.
IndiaWhat I'm looking for
I’m a researcher in microbial strain development and recombinant enzyme production, working across the design-build-test cycle in E. coli, B. subtilis, and S. cerevisiae.
During my PhD at IIT Bombay, I developed B. subtilis spore surface display using CotB, CotC, and CotG fusion partners, including a dual-enzyme spore-display system co-displaying EglS and UnBgl1A for coupled reactions. I also engineered spore-displayed lichenase (BglS) for NSP hydrolysis in cereal-derived animal feed substrates, evaluating activity, gastrointestinal protease resistance, and conversion to reducing sugars.
Right now, I’m a Research Associate at IIT Bombay continuing B. subtilis spore surface display for mannanase delivery and evaluating mannanase activity on konjac glucomannan, guar gum, and soybean meal. I’ve also set up design and cloning workflows for yeast sugar transporter variant studies (GAL2, HXT3), and I built a free browser-based toolkit, Mol Biology Tools (molbiologytools.com), for routine wet-lab design tasks.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Collaborative Project: Synonymous Mutations in Yeast Sugar Transporter Genes
IIT Bombay
Jan 2025 - Present (1 year 7 months)
Studying adaptive value of synonymous mutations in sugar-transporter genes by reconstructing candidate variants in ancestral background for fitness analysis.
Independent Developer
Mol Biology Tools
Jan 2025 - Present (1 year 7 months)
Developed a free online suite of tools for routine molecular biology tasks including primer designer, codon optimiser, and ligation calculator.
Research Associate
IIT Bombay
Dec 2025 - Apr 2026 (4 months)
Continuing development of B. subtilis spore surface display for mannanase delivery, evaluating activity on konjac glucomannan, guar gum, and soybean meal.
PhD Researcher
IIT Bombay
Jan 2017 - Dec 2025 (8 years 11 months)
Developed B. subtilis spore surface display platforms for enzyme delivery, including a dual-enzyme system and lichenase display for animal feed applications.
Collaborative Project: Enzymatic Creatinine Detection Assay
IIT Bombay
Jan 2022 - Dec 2023 (1 year 11 months)
Contributed to development of a four-step enzymatic assay for low-cost creatinine detection, including assay design and LOD/LOQ determination.
M.Tech Researcher
IIT Guwahati
Jul 2015 - Jun 2016 (11 months)
Valorised agri-industrial waste streams through fungal fermentation for chitosan production, screening strains and developing batch bioreactor protocols.
Research Trainee
AVT Biotechnology
Oct 2013 - Apr 2014 (6 months)
Trained in plant tissue-culture operations including aseptic subculturing, media preparation, and callus induction for turmeric cultivars.
B.Tech Researcher
Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute
Jan 2013 - Apr 2013 (3 months)
Developed a constructed-wetland phytoremediation system for Cooum River wastewater and evaluated treatment performance through COD reduction.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
IIT Bombay
Doctor of Philosophy, Chemical Engineering
2017 - 2025
Grade: 7.93/10
PhD in Chemical Engineering with research on Bacillus subtilis spore surface display for enzyme delivery.
IIT Guwahati
Master of Technology, Biotechnology
2014 - 2016
Grade: 8.3/10
M.Tech in Biotechnology with dissertation on chitosan production from kraft mill effluent.
Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute
Bachelor of Technology, Biotechnology
2009 - 2013
Grade: 8.6/10
B.Tech in Biotechnology with dissertation on bioremediation of Cooum River.
Availability
Location
IndiaAuthorized to work in
Website
molbiologytools.comPortfolio
molbiologytools.comJob categories
Skills
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