Himani Chandel
Assistant Professor
PhD Microbiology (Shoolini University); Active Member (MASTD (India), Society for Development and Sustainability (Japan) & Microbiology Society (London)
Himani Chandel is an Assistant Professor at the School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Shoolini University. She also serves as the Senior Education Officer at the Centre for Science, Learning and Creativity (CSLC) — a joint initiative of the Himachal Pradesh government and Shoolini University.
She holds a PhD and MSc in Microbiology from Shoolini University. Her doctoral research focused on the use of bacteria and novel enzymes for treating distillery wastewater, while her MSc work explored the role of biofilms in wastewater treatment. She earned her BSc in Biotechnology from Chandigarh University, where she investigated salt-loving bacteria with potential environmental applications.
Her research interests span environmental microbiology, microbial enzymes, bioremediation, and wastewater treatment. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and contributed reviews, book chapters, and novel microbial genome sequences to NCBI. She is also the author of a book on hydrocarbon-degrading halophilic bacteria.
Asst Prof Himani Chandel received the MASTD–Louis Pasteur Award and was named among the top 30 women in India for the prestigious #SheLeadsHere Women in Water STEM Mentorship Program, supported by the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and the Consulate General of Canada.
She is an active member of several national and international microbiological societies, including MASTD (India), the International Society for Development and Sustainability (Japan), and the Microbiology Society (London). She also contributes as a peer reviewer for leading journals such as PLOS Water and Frontiers in Microbiology.
In addition to her research and academic work, she is engaged in scientific communication, student mentoring, and curriculum development, with a strong focus on environmental sustainability and applied biotechnology.
Publications
- Chandel, H., Keshari, K., Murugesan, S., Yadav, R., Shyam, K., Kumar, N., & Saxena, G. (2023). Enhanced Effluent Treatment and Bioelectricity Generation Using Coupled Constructed Wetland-Microbial Fuel Cell (CW-MFC) Technology: Challenges and Opportunities. Aquatic Macrophytes: Ecology, Functions and Services, 237-260. Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981- 99-3822-3_12
- Chandel, H., Shyam, K., Kumar, N., Sharma, G., Yadav, M., Murugesan, S., & Saxena, G. (2022). Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) technology for nitrogen removal from wastewater: recent advances and challenges. Integrated Environmental Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Sustainable Development, 23-48. Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-91180-1.00009-0
- Chandel, H., Shyam, K., Kumar, N., Sharma, G., Yadav, M., Murugesan, S., & Saxena, G. (2022). Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) technology for nitrogen removal from wastewater: recent advances and challenges. Integrated Environmental Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and Sustainable Development, 23-48. Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-91180-1.00009-0
- Chandel, H., & Kumari, S. (2019) A review on Halophiles as the crude oil hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial species. Int. J. of Life Science, 2019; 7 (2):375- 3860 https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.5555/20203492395
- Chandel, H., & Kumari, S. (2018) An Overview of the Biosurfactants Enhanced Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons. International Journal of Science and Research. Paper ID: SR20817205617
- Chandel, H., & Kumari, S. (2018) The Diesel and Petrol Degrading Strain HC19 of Bacillus albus. International Journal of Science and Research. Paper ID: ART20202086
- Kumar, N., Saini, K., Shyam, K., Sharma, G., Chandel, H., Murugesan, S., & Saxena, G. (2024). Microalgae in removal of emerging contaminants from wastewater environment: A case of potentially toxic pharmaceuticals and personal care products. In Development in Wastewater Treatment Research and Processes (pp. 167-197). Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-443-19207- 4.00009-4
- Thakur, K., Duguna, S., Saini, K., Murugesan, S., Chandel, H., Kulshrestha, S., & Saxena, G. (2024) Microbial laccases: the blue enzyme for bioremediation of contaminants and recalcitrant wastewaters. De Gruyter, Germany. doi: 10.1515/9783111062235-016
- Kumar, N., Bhatnagar, P., Yadav, R., Chandel, H., Murugesan, S., Sharma, G., & Saxena, G. (2023). Role of Microbial Communities and Aquatic Macrophytes in Constructed Wetlands for Tannery Wastewater Treatment: Challenges and Opportunities. Aquatic Macrophytes: Ecology, Functions and Services, 261-296. Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-99-3822-3_13
- Shyam, K., Kumar, N., Chandel, H., Dogra, A. S., Sharma, G., & Saxena, G. (2023). Omics Technologies in Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology: Insightful Applications in Bioremediation Research. Genomics Approach to Bioremediation: Principles, Tools, and Emerging Technologies, 433-454. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. doi: 10.1002/9781119852131.ch23
- Thakur, S., Kumar, N., Chandel, H., Khanduri, M., Sharma, G., Shyam, K., & Saxena, G. (2022). Environmental Toxicity, Health Hazards, and Bioremediation Strategies for Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater. In Omics Insights in Environmental Bioremediation (pp. 149-186). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-4320-1_7
- Kumar, N., Sharma, G., Chandel, H., Shyam, K., Thakur, S., Vaswani, P., & Saxena, G. (2022). Microalgae in Wastewater Treatment and Biofuel Production: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Future Prospects. Omics Insights in Environmental Bioremediation, 237-271. Springer Nature, Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-4320-1_11
Authored Book:
Isolation and characterization of Hydrocarbon degrading 'HC19' strain: The Halophilic Bacillus albus (ISBN: 978-620-0-45921-3).
Year: 2019; Author: Ms. Himani Chandel; Publishers: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrucken, Germany
Work presented at National and International Conferences:
- Title: Isolation and characterization of Manganese (MnP) producing HIMnP3 strain for the bioremediation of Distillery Effluent Event: International Conference on Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Development (ICMBT 2024) Organizers: MASTD, Glorius Vision University (Nigeria), National Research University TIIAME (Uzbekistan), NESA (New Delhi), and Microbiologists Society (Maharashtra, India)
- Title: Bioremediation of distillery effluent using a newly isolated bacterial strain, Bacillus paramycoides HC08 and phytotoxicity evaluation for environmental safety Event: 3rd Conference on “Chemical, Bio and Environmental Engineering” (CHEMBIOEN-2022) Organizer: KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and STE Society, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
- Title: Development of bacterial co-culture for degradation and detoxification of distillery effluent and characterization of metabolic products Event: 3rd Conference on “Chemical, Bio and Environmental Engineering” (CHEMBIOEN-2022) Organizer: Department of Chemical Engineering, B.V. Raju Institute of Technology (Andhra Pradesh) and Dr. B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (Jalandhar, Punjab)