 Junior Scientist About me I am a Junior Scientist at the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) with research expertise in marine biotechnology, microbial natural products, and bioactive compound discovery from marine and freshwater organisms. My work focuses on the isolation and characterization of bioactive metabolites and exopolysaccharides from seaweed- and microalgae-associated bacteria, with potential applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and nutraceuticals. My research integrates microbial biotechnology, natural product chemistry, and molecular biology to identify novel compounds with antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, and UV-protective properties. I have extensive experience in microbial isolation, genome mining for biosynthetic gene clusters, chromatographic and spectroscopic characterization, and bioactivity evaluation using in vitro and in vivo models. Schemes & programmes (including external funded Programmes): |
Academic
Academic Qualifications:
- PhD
Subject: Marine Sciences
Title:Development of Polyketide Class of Compounds from Seaweed-associated Firmicutes and their Pharmacological Potential
Year: 2023
Institution: Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute
University: Cochin University of Science and Technology - Post-graduation
Subject: Marine Microbiology and Marine Drugs
Year: 2017
University: Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) - Graduation
Subject: Microbiology
Year: 2015
University: Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Professional Experience/ Academic Positions:
- Junior Scientist
Organization: Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE)
Duration: 27-02-2026 to till date - Research Associate
Organization: Centre of Excellence in Nutraceuticals (CoEN), An Institute Under KSCSTE,
Bio 360 Life Science Park, Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram
Duration: 08-01-2025 to 26-02-2026 - Research Associate (RUSA Project)
Organization: School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala
Duration: 01-08-2023 to 07-01-2025 -
Research
Broad area
- Marine Biotechnology
- Environmental Biotechnology
- Natural Products
- Microbiology
- Cosmeceuticals
- Genome Mining
- Microbiomics
- Bioprospecting
- Bioproducts
Details of ongoing and completed project
Publications
Best cited Publications
Sumayya Asharaf, Kajal Chakraborty, Silpa Kunnappilly Paulose, Shubhajit Dhara, Rekha Devi Chakraborty, Chesvin Varghese, A sulfated exopolysaccharide from Bacillus altitudinis MTCC13046 accelerates cutaneous wound healing via dermal fibroblast migration: Insights into an in vivo wound re-epithelialization, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules,2025,141001,ISSN0141-8130.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.141001
Sumayya Asharaf, Kajal Chakraborty, Chesvin Varghese, Rekha Devi Chakraborty, Silpa Kunnappilly Paulose, Shubhajit Dhara, A sulfated fucopyranosyl-glucosamino-glucopyranose from marine heterotrophic Bacillus tequilensis regulates inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human monocyte THP-1 cells. Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jun;314:144053. https://doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.144053. Epub 2025 May 8. PMID: 40345301.
Sumayya Asharaf, Kajal Chakraborty, Silpa Kunnappilly Paulose, Shubhajit Dhara, Rekha Devi Chakraborty, Chesvin Varghese. Photoprotective sulfated mannogalactan from heterotrophic Bacillus velezensis blocks UV-A mediated matrix metalloproteinase expression and nuclear DNA damage in human dermal fibroblast. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology.B,Biology, 2024,260, 113022.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2024.113022
Sumayya Asharaf, Kajal Chakraborty, Seaweed-associated heterotrophic Bacillus altitudinis MTCC13046: A promising marine bacterium for use against human hepatocellular adenocarcinoma” Arch Microbiol.2023; 205(1):10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-022-03346-2
Sumayya Asharaf, Kajal Chakraborty, Pharmacological potential of seaweed-associated heterotrophic Firmicutes. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2022. 75(4):1042-1054.
https://doi.org/10.1111/lam.13780
URL of Googlescholar/researchgate etc:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=23KOMDkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Awards
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- Postgraduation University Rank Holder and Gold medallist at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies in 2017
- DST-INSPIRE FELLOWSHIP Awardee (IF170768) Department of Science and Technology For pursuing PhD.
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Membership
Membership in Professional Bodies
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- Microbiology Society of India
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My Team
Contact
Dr. Sumayya Asharaf,
Junior Scientist
Sasthra Bhavan, Pattom P O,
Thiruvananthapuram – 695004
Email ID: sumayya.kscste@gmail.com
Phone (Office/Mob):+ 91-471-2548250