Rajagiri Hosts International Conference on Algal Research

KOCHI:
The Third International Algal Research Conference 2025 was held at the Rajagiri Valley Campus, jointly organized by Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, IIT Guwahati, and CSIR–NEERI, Nagpur. The event brought together leading scientists, researchers, and academicians from across the globe to explore the future of algal research and its applications in biotechnology, bioenergy, and environmental management.

Inaugurating the conference, Prof. K. Mohanty of IIT Guwahati highlighted Kerala’s vast coastline and freshwater resources as ideal conditions for developing the algal industry. He emphasized the potential for large-scale algal cultivation and related entrepreneurial ventures in the state.

The two-day event, supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), KSCSTE, ANRF, and BPCL, featured over 100 research presentations and 35 invited talks on topics including algal biotechnology, wastewater treatment, carbon sequestration, and value-added algal products.

Awards were presented to outstanding researchers: Dr. Kanchan Sambhwani (ICT Mumbai) received the Emerging Career Award; Dr. Poonam Chaudhary (IIT Roorkee) won the Early Career Award; Dr. S. Durgadevi (NIT Trichy) and Dr. Sonia Chaudhary (IIT Roorkee) jointly received the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award; and Robe K. Mathew (Rajagiri College of Social Sciences) received the Best Master’s Thesis Award.

The conference concluded with remarks by Fr. Francis Sebastian CMI, Assistant Director, Rajagiri College. It was announced that the next International Algal Research Symposium will be hosted by CSIR–NEERI, Nagpur, on October 29, 2026.