Dr. Manoj Kumar

@online.gndu.ac.in

Scholar, Department of Microbiology
Guru Nanak Dev University

Dr. Manoj Kumar


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During my doctorate degree, my research is focused on bioremediation of organic pollutants and heavy metals using bacteria (aerobic and anaerobic) and metagenomics studies of polluted sites. This research experience has equipped me with a deep understanding of the microbiology field, as well as strong analytical and problem-solving skills. During my research I have worked on various instruments such as UV-Vis Spectroscopy, PCR, Ultra-sonicator, Gel-electrophoresis, SDS-PAGE, Lyophilizer, Fermentor, Rotary-evaporator, Gel-Doc, Anaerobic Chamber, Bioreactor development for degradation studies, HPLC,GC, LC-MS, XRD, SEM-EDS and AAS etc. Identification and characterization of microbes using NCBI, EzBioCloud and MG-RAST etc.

All the basic knowledge and techniques of microbiology laboratories.

EDUCATION

Graduation: B.Sc. (hons.) in Microbiology from Department of Microbiology, Shoolini Institute of Life Sciences and Business Management affiliated to Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla in 2010 with first grade (76 %).
Post-Graduation: M. Sc (hons.) Fermentation and Microbial Technology from Department of Microbiology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (Punjab) in 2012 with first grade (75 %).
Qualified ASRB-ICAR NET in Agricultural Microbiology in 2016.
PhD. (Microbiology) degree has been officially conferred having specialization in Microbiology with thesis entitled "Evaluation of Bioremediation Potential of Culturable Bacterial Diversity of Polluted Sites and Assessment of their Unculturable Diversity" from Department of Microbiology, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar (Punjab) under the guidance of Prof (Dr.) Harvinder Singh Saini, Department of Microbiology, Dean-Faculty of Life Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (Punjab).

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Immunology and Microbiology
10

Scopus Publications

138

Scholar Citations

6

Scholar h-index

5

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Metagenomics and its impact on environmental and therapeutic microbiology
    Sandeep Kaur Saggu, Manoj Kumar, Shiv Kumar
    Archives of Microbiology, 2026
  • Biotechnological Approaches for the Sustainable Waste Management of Oil Refinery/Petroleum Industry
    Sapna Devi, Satish Koundal, Rajesh K. Sani, Manoj Kumar
    Waste to Wealth Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Development, 2025
  • Novel approaches to alleviate lignocellulosic biomass waste for effective and sustainable utilization
    Dhruv Agrawal, Sandeep Kaur Saggu, Sapna Devi, Shiv Kumar, Manoj Kumar
    Value Addition and Utilization of Lignocellulosic Biomass Through Novel Technological Interventions, 2025
  • Microbial Fuel Cells: Harnessing Power from Wastewater
    Sukhvinder Dhiman, Sapna Devi, Satish Koundal, Manoj Kumar
    Springer Water, 2025
  • Deciphering Indigenous Bacterial Diversity of Co-Polluted Sites to Unravel Its Bioremediation Potential: A Metagenomic Approach
    Manoj Kumar, Harvinder Singh Saini
    Journal of Basic Microbiology, 2024
    Polluted drains across the globe are affected due to reckless disposal of untreated industrial effluents resulting in significant water pollution affecting microbial community structure/dynamics. To elucidate this, polluted samples were collected from Budha Nala (BN) drain, Tung Dhab (TD) drain, and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) receiving an inflow of organic pollutants as well as heavy metals due to anthropogenic activities. The sample of unpolluted pristine soil (PS) was used as control, as there is no history of usage of organic chemicals at this site. The bacterial diversity of these samples was sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform by amplifying the V3/V4 region of 16S rRNA. The majority of operational taxonomic unit (OTUs) at polluted sites belonged to phyla Proteobacteria specifically Gammaproteobacteria class, followed by Actinobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, WS6, and TM7, whereas unpolluted site revealed the prevalence of Proteobacteria followed by Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Nitrospirae. The data sets decode unclassified species of the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteriodetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, and WS6, along with some unclassified bacterial species. The study provided a comparative study of changed microbial community structure, their possible functions across diverse geographical locations, and identifying specific bacterial genera as pollution bio‐indicators of aged polluted drains.
  • Synergistic and additive interactions of Shewanella sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Thauera sp. with chlorantraniliprole and emamectin benzoate for controlling Spodoptera litura (Fabricius)
    Sunaina Sarkhandia, Geetika Sharma, Rohit Mahajan, Satish Koundal, Manoj Kumar, et al.
    Scientific Reports, 2023
    The imprudent use of insecticides causes the development of resistance in insect pest populations, contamination of the environment, biological imbalance and human intoxication. The use of microbial pathogens combined with insecticides has been proposed as an alternative strategy for insect pest management. This IPM approach may offer effective ways to control pests, in addition to lowering the risk of chemical residues in the environment. Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) is a major pest of many crops like cotton, maize, tobacco, cauliflower, cabbage, and fodder crops globally. Here, we evaluated the combined effects of new chemistry insecticides (chlorantraniliprole and emamectin benzoate) and entomopathogenic bacterial strains, Shewanella sp. (SS4), Thauera sp. (M9) and Pseudomonas sp. (EN4) against S. litura larvae inducing additive and synergistic interactions under laboratory conditions. Both insecticides produced higher larval mortality when applied in combination with bacterial isolates having maximum mortality of 98 and 96% with LC50 of chlorantraniliprole and emamectin benzoate in combination with LC50 of Pseudomonas sp. (EN4) respectively. The lower concentration (LC20) of both insecticides also induced synergism when combined with the above bacterial isolates providing a valuable approach for the management of insect pests. The genotoxic effect of both the insecticides was also evaluated by conducting comet assays. The insecticide treatments induced significant DNA damage in larval hemocytes that further increased in combination treatments. Our results indicated that combined treatments could be a successful approach for managing S. litura while reducing the inappropriate overuse of insecticides.
  • Insecticidal, genotoxic and biochemical effects of Shewanella sp. (SS4) and Thauera sp. (M9) on Spodoptera litura
    Sunaina Sarkhandia, Sarita Devi, Geetika Sharma, Manoj Kumar, Satish Koundal, et al.
    Journal of Applied Entomology, 2023
    Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous pest causing economic losses to a number of agricultural crops. The present study was conducted to explore the insecticidal potential of some soil bacteria against S. litura. Among the tested bacterial isolates, Shewanella sp. (SS4) and Thauera sp. (M9) caused higher larval mortality. Concentration–response bioassays indicated a dose‐dependent increase in larval mortality with maximum mortality of 80 and 76%, respectively, due to Shewanella sp. and Thauera sp. Both the bacteria negatively affected the growth and development, reduced adult emergence and induced morphological deformities in adults. Nutritional parameters of S. litura i.e. relative growth and consumption rate, efficiency of conversion of ingested and digested food as well as approximate digestibility of food decreased with increasing bacterial concentrations. Histopathological studies revealed the disruption of peritrophic membrane and midgut epithelium of larvae. Profiles of digestive enzymes i.e. α‐amylases, α, β‐glucosidases and galactosidases, lipases and proteases were also significantly decreased with bacterial treatment. Comet assay test indicated DNA damage in larval haemocytes due to bacterial infection. These results imply that both these bacterial isolates have the potential as biological control agents and may prove as environmentally friendly alternative for pest management techniques.
  • Exploring the role of microbes for the management of persistent organic pollutants
    Manoj Kumar, Sandeep Kaur Saggu, Pritu Pratibha, Sunil Kumar Singh, Shiv Kumar
    Journal of Environmental Management, 2023
  • Evaluating metabolic potential of Thauera sp. M9 for the transformation of 4-chloroaniline (4-CA)
    Manoj Kumar, Rohit Mahajan, Harvinder Singh Saini
    Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, 2020
  • Reduction of hexavalent chromium (VI) by indigenous alkaliphilic and halotolerant Microbacterium sp. M5: comparative studies under growth and nongrowth conditions
    M. Kumar, H.S. Saini
    Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2019
    To evaluate hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) reduction potential of indigenous isolate M5, under growing and nongrowing conditions.

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Metagenomics and its impact on environmental and therapeutic microbiology
    SK Saggu, M Kumar, S Kumar
    Archives of Microbiology 208 (1), 24 , 2026
    2026
    Citations: 3
  • Microbial Fuel Cells: Harnessing Power from Wastewater
    S Dhiman, S Devi, S Koundal, M Kumar
    Resource Resurgence: Mitigating Wastewater, Smart Recycling and Novel … , 2025
    2025
  • Biotechnological Approaches for the Sustainable Waste Management of Oil Refinery/Petroleum Industry
    S Devi, S Koundal, RK Sani, M Kumar
    Waste to Wealth, 261-291 , 2025
    2025
  • Anthraquinone-Based Nanomaterials: Emerging Strategies in Cancer Therapy
    M Kumar, A Kumar, S Kaur, G Kumar, S Dhiman
    Anthraquinones: Bioactive Multifaceted Therapeutic Agents, 231-272 , 2025
    2025
  • Anthraquinones as Bioactive Agents: Recent Trends and Developments in Phytotherapy
    M Kumar
    Bentham Briefs in Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 81 , 2025
    2025
  • Novel Approaches to Alleviate Lignocellulosic Biomass Waste for Effective and Sustainable Utilization
    D Agrawal, SK Saggu, S Devi, S Kumar, M Kumar
    Value Addition and Utilization of Lignocellulosic Biomass: Through Novel … , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • Hydroxytyrosol in cancer research: recent and historical insights on discoveries and mechanisms of action
    A Kumar, B Singh, K Paul, P Bakshi, P Bajaj, M Kumar, S Dhiman, ...
    Future Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 10 (1), 129 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 10
  • Deciphering Indigenous Bacterial Diversity of Co‐Polluted Sites to Unravel Its Bioremediation Potential: A Metagenomic Approach
    M Kumar, HS Saini
    Journal of Basic Microbiology 64 (9), e2400303 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 3
  • Novel approaches for sustainable management of chromium contaminated wastewater
    M Kumar, HS Saini
    Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Management Systems-The Gutter-to-Good Approaches , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 15
  • Origin and Management of Inorganic and Organic Contaminants
    S Dhiman, S Kumar, M Kumar, G Kumar
    Management and Mitigation of Emerging Pollutants 1, 21-67 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 6
  • Insecticidal, genotoxic and biochemical effects of Shewanella sp. (SS4) and Thauera sp. (M9) on Spodoptera litura
    S Sarkhandia, S Devi, G Sharma, M Kumar, S Koundal, P Chadha, ...
    Journal of Applied Entomology 147 (9), 702-715 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 5
  • Exploring the role of microbes for the management of persistent organic pollutants
    M Kumar, SK Saggu, P Pratibha, SK Singh, S Kumar
    Journal of Environmental Management 344, 118492 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 34
  • Synergistic and additive interactions of Shewanella sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Thauera sp. with chlorantraniliprole and emamectin benzoate for controlling Spodoptera litura …
    HSSSK Sunaina Sarkhandia, Geetika Sharma, Rohit Mahajan, Satish Koundal ...
    Scientific Reports 13, 14648 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 8
  • Evaluating metabolic potential of Thauera sp. M9 for the transformation of 4-chloroaniline (4-CA)
    M Kumar, R Mahajan, HS Saini
    Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology 29, 101768 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 23
  • Reduction of hexavalent chromium (VI) by indigenous alkaliphilic and halotolerant Microbacterium sp. M5: comparative studies under growth and nongrowth conditions
    M Kumar, HS Saini
    Journal of Applied Microbiology 127 (4), 1057-1068 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 29

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Exploring the role of microbes for the management of persistent organic pollutants
    M Kumar, SK Saggu, P Pratibha, SK Singh, S Kumar
    Journal of Environmental Management 344, 118492 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 34
  • Reduction of hexavalent chromium (VI) by indigenous alkaliphilic and halotolerant Microbacterium sp. M5: comparative studies under growth and nongrowth conditions
    M Kumar, HS Saini
    Journal of Applied Microbiology 127 (4), 1057-1068 , 2019
    2019
    Citations: 29
  • Evaluating metabolic potential of Thauera sp. M9 for the transformation of 4-chloroaniline (4-CA)
    M Kumar, R Mahajan, HS Saini
    Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology 29, 101768 , 2020
    2020
    Citations: 23
  • Novel approaches for sustainable management of chromium contaminated wastewater
    M Kumar, HS Saini
    Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Management Systems-The Gutter-to-Good Approaches , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 15
  • Hydroxytyrosol in cancer research: recent and historical insights on discoveries and mechanisms of action
    A Kumar, B Singh, K Paul, P Bakshi, P Bajaj, M Kumar, S Dhiman, ...
    Future Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 10 (1), 129 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 10
  • Synergistic and additive interactions of Shewanella sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Thauera sp. with chlorantraniliprole and emamectin benzoate for controlling Spodoptera litura …
    HSSSK Sunaina Sarkhandia, Geetika Sharma, Rohit Mahajan, Satish Koundal ...
    Scientific Reports 13, 14648 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 8
  • Origin and Management of Inorganic and Organic Contaminants
    S Dhiman, S Kumar, M Kumar, G Kumar
    Management and Mitigation of Emerging Pollutants 1, 21-67 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 6
  • Insecticidal, genotoxic and biochemical effects of Shewanella sp. (SS4) and Thauera sp. (M9) on Spodoptera litura
    S Sarkhandia, S Devi, G Sharma, M Kumar, S Koundal, P Chadha, ...
    Journal of Applied Entomology 147 (9), 702-715 , 2023
    2023
    Citations: 5
  • Metagenomics and its impact on environmental and therapeutic microbiology
    SK Saggu, M Kumar, S Kumar
    Archives of Microbiology 208 (1), 24 , 2026
    2026
    Citations: 3
  • Deciphering Indigenous Bacterial Diversity of Co‐Polluted Sites to Unravel Its Bioremediation Potential: A Metagenomic Approach
    M Kumar, HS Saini
    Journal of Basic Microbiology 64 (9), e2400303 , 2024
    2024
    Citations: 3
  • Novel Approaches to Alleviate Lignocellulosic Biomass Waste for Effective and Sustainable Utilization
    D Agrawal, SK Saggu, S Devi, S Kumar, M Kumar
    Value Addition and Utilization of Lignocellulosic Biomass: Through Novel … , 2025
    2025
    Citations: 2
  • Microbial Fuel Cells: Harnessing Power from Wastewater
    S Dhiman, S Devi, S Koundal, M Kumar
    Resource Resurgence: Mitigating Wastewater, Smart Recycling and Novel … , 2025
    2025
  • Biotechnological Approaches for the Sustainable Waste Management of Oil Refinery/Petroleum Industry
    S Devi, S Koundal, RK Sani, M Kumar
    Waste to Wealth, 261-291 , 2025
    2025
  • Anthraquinone-Based Nanomaterials: Emerging Strategies in Cancer Therapy
    M Kumar, A Kumar, S Kaur, G Kumar, S Dhiman
    Anthraquinones: Bioactive Multifaceted Therapeutic Agents, 231-272 , 2025
    2025
  • Anthraquinones as Bioactive Agents: Recent Trends and Developments in Phytotherapy
    M Kumar
    Bentham Briefs in Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 81 , 2025
    2025