Microbial Communities in Coastal Sediments

Dr. Salom Gnana Thanga completed her Ph.D in Environmental Sciences at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore in 1997. Her vast experience includes being a senior research fellow of DST, and work on a Government of India funded project working as a Research Associate on the beneficial microbes transported by earthworms. Between 2001 and 2005, Dr. Thanga worked at the University of Kerala as a Lecturer, Assistant Professor and Head Reader, and at the present time, works as Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kerala. Her broad area of specialization is Environmental Microbiology, and specific areas include anaerobic microbial ecology, microbial biogeochemistry, and microbial degradation of pesticides. She is the principal investigator of five major research projects funded by University Grants Commission, Department of Environment and Climate Change and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. She has published 35 research papers in International and National journals.

Tim Jennerjahn is a Senior Scientist at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research in Bremen, Germany. He is trained in geology and biogeochemistry at the University of Hamburg. His research focuses on the biogeochemical response of coastal aquatic systems to environmental change in tropical regions at present and in the past. He is coordinating and participating in collaborative interdisciplinary research projects in Indonesia, India, Brazil, China and Vietnam. His research in the past years concentrated on the effects of land-based human activities on coastal aquatic systems in the tropics, for example, the impact of inputs of nutrients, organic matter, organic pollutants and suspended sediments on mangroves, seagrasses and coastal seas. His research results are published in in peer-reviewed journals and books and he served as guest editor for several special issues of international journals. He is teaching at the University of Bremen and in partner universities abroad and he serves as thesis supervisor for students from Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. He is an Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science.

Kumarasamy Ramasamy, former Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, did his Masters in Fermentation Technology and Doctorate in Industrial Microbiology at Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, where he also obtained post-doctoral experience in Electron Microscopy. Dr. Ramasamy gained additional experience in Gene Cloning at Michigan State University, USA. Dr. Ramasamy is one of the few specialists in the area of microbial ecology, especially in the anaerobic microorganisms. He developed microbially-managed ecological solution for paper, tannery, sugar, distillery, and textile industrial effluents. His excellence in research on aerobic / anaerobic microbiology has caught the attention of national & international funding agencies. He has published more than 152 research publications, including 8 books and 23 bulletins. His excellence in academic and research achievements has been widely recognized nationally and internationally.