Latha Rangan

Professor

lrangan[AT*]iitg.ac.in

Research Areas:

Applied Biodiversity.

Web page: https://www.iitg.ac.in/biotech/latharangan/

Applied Biodiversity laboratory aims to develop the necessary knowledge and range of technologies to improve biofuel and medicinal crops. The lab also focuses on coming up with herbal therapeutic products from plant species indigenous to Northeast India.

Northeast India is a region of profuse biodiversity. The abrupt variations in the altitude and the presence of deep valleys provide a range of ecological variations thereby producing different types of climatic conditions that determines the vegetation pattern of this region. It is also regarded as one of the worlds few biodiversity hotspots due to its extensively rich flora and fauna (Nayar, 1996). In the recent times, the ongoing developmental pressures on the environment and the global losses in the biodiversity has instigated bio-conservation. ABL lab aims to develop strategies and biomarkers for conservation of few important plant species indigenous to the Northeast India. Medicinally important species like Zingiberaceae and high oil yielding plants like Pongamia pinnata, Jatropha curcus, Ricinus communis and Mesua ferrea are investigated with this respect. Apart from conservation strategies, the ethanopharmacology of these plant species are also explored. Some of these plants are also active ingredients in ayurvedic formulations. Thus, natural products as individual compounds are being explored for possible herbal therapeutics against various human pathologies.

Educational details:

2001 - Ph.D., Plant Science, University of Madras (Research work carried at IRRI, Manila)
1995 - M.Sc., Plant Science, University of Madras
1993 - B.Sc., Botany, University of Madras

Others Courses/Qualifications:

2007- 2008 - Certificate courses on IPR (General IPR, IPR in Biotechnology and IPR in Electronics) from World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, Switzerland. Distinction obtained
2004 - Post Doctoral Fellow, Rice Biotechnology, De Montfort University, UK

Positions Held:

2019 - Head, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati
2014 - Professor, Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati
2014 - 2016 Associate Dean, Student Affairs (ADOSA), IIT Guwahati
2013 - DAAD Exchange Visitor, Molecular Cell Biology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
2010 - Visiting Scientist, Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
2009 - 2014 Associate Professor, Biosciences & Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati
2004 - 2009 Assistant Professor, Biosciences & Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati

Administration Responsibilities:

Institute Level:

2018 - Member, SAPA sub-committee for Research Building
2017 - Member, Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)
2016 - 2018 - Member, RURBAN
2015 - 2019 - Member, Unnat Bharath Abhiyan (UBA)
2015 - 2017 - Member, Rashtriya Avishkar Yojna
2015 - 2019 - Member, Sishugram Development Committee
2014 - 2016 - Associate Dean, Student Affairs
2009 - 2014 - Member, Convocation Committee (Stage, Food, VIP)
2014 - Warden, Dhansiri
2012 - 2014 - Warden, Subansiri
2012 - Associate Warden, Subansiri
2009 - 2010 - Member, Institute Library Committee
2006 - 2007 - Member, Institute Time Table Committee
2006 - 2008 - Member, Intellectual Property Right Management Committee (IPRMC)

Department/Centre Level:

Member, DPPC and CPPC
Member, DUPC
Member, DFAC
Member, Purchase Committee BSBE & CRT
Coordinator & member, Dept and Centre Annual Report
Coordinator & Member, Web page maintenance BSBE & CRT
Member, PhD and MTech Entrance Examination BSBE & CRT
Coordinator, Dept Library
Coordinator, Dept Time table
Member, Safety and Maintenance

Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati

BT 101 - Modern Biology
BT 201 - Biochemistry
BT 201M - Essentials of Biochemistry
BT 208 - Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering
BT 290 - Biomolecular Analysis Lab
BT 300 - Seminar
BT 301M - Cellular Biotechnology
BT 306/405 - IPR, Ethics and Biosafety
BT 309 - Plant Biotechnology
BT 390 - Plant Biotechnology Lab
BT 503 - Genetic Engineering
BT 510 - Analytical Biotechnology Lab
BT 615 - Seminar
BT 427 - Functional Genomics
BT 401 - Frontiers in Biotechnology

Centre for Rural Technology, IIT Guwahati

RT 501 - Livelihood Management and Agrotechnology

Journals

1. A Singh, G Bhatt, N Gujre, S Mitra, R Swaminathan, AM Limaye, L Rangan "Karanjin", Phytochemistry . DOI.10.1016/j.phytochem.2020.112641, Vol., , P.P - , (2021)

2. N Gujre, L Rangan, S Mitra "Occurrence, geochemical fraction, ecological and health risk assessment of cadmium, copper and nickel in soils contaminated with municipal solid wastes", Chemosphere. DOI., Vol.271: 129573, , P.P - , (2021)

3. N Gujre, R Agnihotri, L Rangan, MP Sharma, S Mitra "Deciphering the dynamics of glomalin and heavy metals in soils contaminated with hazardous municipal solid wastes", Journal of Hazardous Material. DOI., Vol.416, 125869 , P.P - , (2021)

4. A Singh, MZ. Ansari, S. Sanjana, L Rangan, R Swaminathan "Enhanced solubility, electronic absorption and fluorescence observed for karanjin in aqueous SDS micelles compared to water.", Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A . DOI., Vol.414, 113289 , P.P - , (2021)

5. IH Mondal, L Rangan, R Uppaluri "Process-product characteristics of tray dried Benincasa hispida", Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. DOI.10.1111/jfpp.14697, Vol., , P.P - , (2020)

Conference Publication

1. L Rangan "New record of nuclear DNA and genome size variation among some species of Zingiberaceae from North east India", 21st Indo US Flow Cytometry Workshop on “Basics of Flow Cytometry and its Applications in Plant Biology”. Eternal University, Baru Sahib, HP . Vol., , P.P - , (2020)

2. L Rangan, Tushar, S Basak, I Chakrabartty, S Ghosh, A Das, M Kumar, S Sadokpam , A Vijayasekar, VS Hedaoo, V Kumar, S Ramachandran " Maintaining Biodiversity in North-east India: Ethno-medicinal usage of Zingiberaceae", BVA 2018 . Vol., , P.P - , (2018)

3. PK Baruah, M A. Raman, I Chakrabartty, L Rangan, AK Sharma, A Khare "Antibacterial Effect of Silk Treated with Silver and Copper Nanoparticles Synthesized by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Distilled Water", The International Conference on Fiber Optics and Photonics. Vol., , P.P 1-3 , (2018)

4. PK Baruah, A Singh, L Rangan, AK Sharma, A Khare "Comparison of surface enhanced Raman scattering of silver and copper nanoparticles on furanoflavanoid karanjin", The International Conference on Fiber Optics and Photonics. Vol., , P.P 1-3 , (2016)

5. L Rangan, A Singh, RG Shelke, R Das, AM Ramesh, V Kesari, P Scott & P Gresshoff " New positives of biotech research in renewable energy resources- Success story of Pongamia", National Seminar on Biofuel A Search for New Fire SIBBR&D, Cochin . Vol., , P.P 22-25 , (2015)

View All Publications

Medicinal herbal composition from the rhizome essential oil of Zingiber moran and the process thereof. Rangan L, Das A (TIFAC-DST T.1(49) / TIFA /2011).

Multipurpose herbal utility of camphene from Zingiber moran, an endemic medicinal plant from northeast India. Rangan L, Das A, Kasoju N, Bora U (TIFAC-DST- T.1(49) / TIFA /2011)

Antileishmanial labdane type diterpene compounds from the seeds of Alpinia nigra (Gaertn.) B.L. Burtt, an ethnomedically important plant from North East India. Rangan L, Ghosh S, Singh RK, Dubey VK, Indukuri K, Saikia AK (02.04.2013)