Associate Professor, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

Phone: (540) 231-8015
Email: biswarup@vt.edu
Fax: 540-231-2606

Administrative Specialist: Maureen Lawrence-Kuether
Phone: (540) 231-3669
Email: mlawre04@vbi.vt.edu
Fax:540-231-2606

Microbial Diversity Group | Publications | NSF-REU Site: Microbiology in the Post Genome Era

Professional Preparation

• University of Iowa (Laboratory of Professor Lacy Daniels), Microbiology, Ph.D., 1993

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Laboratory of Professor Ralph S. Wolfe), postdoctoral training, 1993-2001

Research Interests

• Methanogenic archaea
• Remnants or precursors of sulfate reduction pathway genes
• Redox regulation of energy metabolism
• Structure-function relationships in archaeal-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase
• Coal bed microbiology - bioconversion of coal to methane, and mitigation of methane-induced mine explosion
• Mycobacterial metabolism and tuberculosis [a collaboration with Dr. Endang Purwantini (the lead), Johns Hopkins University, Rotinsulu Pulmonary Hospital (Bandung, Indonesia), and Institut Teknolgi (Bandung, Indonesia) ]
• Role of coenzyme F420 in sensing, detoxification, cell material biosynthesis and biodegradation (learning from the archaea for mycobacterial research) [a collaboration with Dr. Endang Purwantini]

Biography

Biswarup Mukhopadhyay is an associate professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and adjunct associate professor in Virginia Tech's Departments of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences. Mukhopadhyay joined VBI following his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Prof. Ralph S. Wolfe at the University of Illinois. Prior to his graduate training in the Prof. Lacy Daniels' laboratory at the University of Iowa, he worked as a biochemical engineer for Hindustan Antibiotics Limited in India. Mukhopadhyay's group studies the biochemical mechanisms used by microorganisms to survive under extreme conditions with specific focus on the methanogenic archaea, natural gas production and tuberculosis. They also examine the structure-function relationships of two CO₂-fixing enzymes (PEPCK and PEPC) with relevance in type 2 diabetes and production of chemicals and food crop.

Selected Publications