About
Dr Soshina Nathan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology at Fatima Mata National College (Autonomous), Kollam since December 2020. She holds a BSc in Industrial Microbiology, Chemistry, and Zoology (University of Kerala), an MSc in Marine Biology (CUSAT, Kochi), and a PhD in Microbiology (MS University of Baroda, Gujarat). A consistent academic achiever, she distinguished herself as a first rank holder at the school, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels. Her professional journey spans both industry and academic research. She worked as a Trainee Scientist at Jubilant Biosys, Bangalore, gaining valuable exposure to an industry-based scientific environment. Her subsequent research career includes postdoctoral research at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP), Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh and a Dr. D. S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Her research interests span microbiology, molecular biology, antimicrobial resistance, microbial ecology, aquatic biology, environmental microbiology, nanotechnology and bioremediation. Outside academia, she enjoys learning new things, dancing, singing, practising yoga, creating science communication content, and exploring nature.
Education
| # | Exam | Institution | University |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O Levels | Lake Road Secondary School, Lusaka, Zambia | University of London |
| 2 | Plus Two | St. Johns School | ISC |
| 3 | BSc Triple Main in Microbiology, Chemistry and Zoology | MSM College, Kayamkulam | University of Kerala |
| 4 | MSc Marine Biology | Lake side Campus | CUSAT |
| 5 | PhD in Microbiology | Dept of Microbiology and Biotechnology | Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat |
Experience
| # | Designation | Institution | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Postdoctoral trainee | IIT Kharagpur | Lab of Prof. Dr. Anindya Sundar Ghosh |
| 2 | Research Associate | IMTECH, Chandigarh | Lab of Prof. Dr. Girish Sahni |
| 3 | Dr DS Kothari Postdoctoral Fellow | IISc, Bangalore | Lab of Prof. Dr. Umesh Varshney |
| 4 | Trainee Scientist | Jubilant Biosys Ltd |
Courses (Papers) Taught
| # | Courses (Papers) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biochemistry | UG and PG |
| 2 | Molecular Biology | UG and PG |
| 3 | Immunology | PG |
| 4 | Fisheries and Aquaculture | PG |
| 5 | Animal Diversity | UG |
| 6 | Public Health and Hygiene | UG |
Service
| # | Academic Year |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2024-2025 |
Books Published
| # | Title | Sole Authored / Co Authored | Authors | Type of Book | Publications | Level | Place | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isolation, Characterization and Heavy Metal Nanoparticle Synthesis Potential of Microorganisms from Industrial Effluent- Contaminated Sediments | Co Authored | Soumya Mathunny and Soshina Nathan | Environmental Pollution, Health and Sustainability | Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kerala, Trivandrum, Kerala. Edited by Dr. Jaya D.S. and Dr. Salom Gnana Thanka V | State Publisher | Kollam | 2023 | ISBN:978-93-5996- 849-0 |
| 2 | Exploring Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Bacterial Flora Isolated from Water and Edible Fish of Ashtamudi Lake | Co Authored | Soshina Nathan, Aneesha Joy and Helen E Fernandez | Environmental Pollution, Health and Sustainability | Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kerala, Trivandrum, Kerala. Edited by Dr. Jaya D.S. and Dr. Salom Gnana Thanka V | State Publisher | Kollam | 2023 | ISBN:978-93-5996- 849-0 |
| 3 | Managing Knee Pain during Pregnancy and Beyond: A Case Report and Remedy I | Sole Authored | Soshina Nathan | n International Conference on Transdisciplinary Research in Life Sciences: Perspectives & Prospects Book of Abstracts | Department of Life Sciences, Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous, Bengaluru, Karnataka. India-560077. Edited by Arun Kumar Sreeramulu, PhD; Manikandan Kathirvel, PhD; Noorunnisa Begum, PhD | State Publisher | Kollam | 2023 | ISBN: 978-81-964630-9-4 |
| 4 | Investigating Indigenous Microbes in Heavy Metal-Rich Effluent for Green Synthesis of Heavy Metal Nanoparticles: A Prelude to Bioremediation | Co Authored | Soshina Nathan, Soumya Mathunny and Anjana J | n International Conference on Transdisciplinary Research in Life Sciences: Perspectives & Prospects Book of Abstracts | Department of Life Sciences, Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous, Bengaluru, Karnataka. India-560077. Edited by Arun Kumar Sreeramulu, PhD; Manikandan Kathirvel, PhD; Noorunnisa Begum, PhD | State Publisher | Kollam | 2023 | ISBN: 978-81-964630-9-4 |
Papers Published
| # | Title | Journal Name | Volume | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering a repression-free catabolite-enhanced expression system for a thermophilic alpha-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis MSG. | Journal of Biotechnology | 168 (4) | 2013 |
| 2 | A tyrosine residue along with a glutamic acid of the omega-like loop governs the beta-lactamase activity of MSMEG_4455 in Mycobacterium smegmatis. | The Protein Journal | 36 | 2017 |
| 3 | Glutamate residues at positions 162 and 164 influence the beta-lactamase activity of SHV-14 obtained from Klebsiella pneumoniae. | FEMS microbiology letters | 365(2) | 2018 |
| 4 | Incidence of Foodborne Pathogens in Seafood Sourced from Neendakara and Thangassery Harbours in Kollam, Kerala. | Eco. Env. & Cons. | 29 (July Special Issue) | 2023 |
| 5 | Comparative evaluation of bread types to identify a low-tech, accessible tool for airborne fungal monitoring. | Environmental and Experimental Biology | 23(3) | 2025 |
| 6 | Sustainable and Eco-friendly Nanoparticle Synthesis using Microbial Strains Isolated from Heavy Metal-rich Industrial Effluent. | Prog Nanoscience Nanotechnol, | 16, 1 | 2025 |
| 7 | Multidrug-resistant bacteria in wastewater-impacted zones of Ashtamudi Lake, a Ramsar site in Kerala, India. | Environmental and Experimental Biology | 24 | 2026 |
| 8 | How Colonialism, Militarization, Insurgency and Adivasi Movements Have Shaped India’s Landscapes. | Digit Hum Soc Sci Cult Preserv | 2(1) | 2026 |
Papers Presented
| # | Title | Title of Seminar/Conference | Year | Organized by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Engineering a repression-free, glucose-activated expression system for a thermophilic α-amylase. | Biolim-O-Conference | 2015 | Biolim |
| 2 | Incidence of Foodborne Pathogens in Seafood Sourced from Neendakara and Thangassery Harbours in Kollam, Kerala | ICCAMS-2022 International Conference | 2022 | PG and Research Department of Zoology, Fatima Mata National College, (Autonomous), Kollam |
| 3 | Incidence of Foodborne Pathogens in Seafood Sourced from Neendakara and Thangassery Harbours in Kollam, Kerala | ICTRLS-2024 International Conference | 2024 | Department of Life Sciences, Kristu Jayanti College, Autonomous, Bangalore |
| 4 | Physiological characterization of a SHV14 beta-lactamase of Klebsiella pneumoniae | FEMS International Conference | 2015 | Federation of European Microbiological Societies |
| 5 | EXPLORING ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PATTERNS OF BACTERIAL FLORA ISOLATED FROM WATER AND EDIBLE FISH OF ASHTAMUDI LAKE | ICEGSF-2023 National Conference | 2023 | Dept of Environmental Sciences, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram |
Membership in Academic Bodies
| # | Title | Details | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estuarine and Coastal Sciences Association | Annual Member | |
| 2 | Society of Marine Biologists | Lifetime member |
Achievements and Awards
| # | Title | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plus Two School Topper (1998) | St Johns School Kayamkulam |
| 2 | BSc First Rank/ Gold medalist | Triple Main- Industrial Microbiology, Zoology and Chemistry, University of Kerala |
| 3 | MSc First Rank/Gold Medalist | Marine Biology, Cochin University of Science and Technology |
| 4 | JRF-NET | Joint UGC-CSIR NET exam of December 2003 (F No. 10-2(5)/2003 (II)-E.U.II) |
| 5 | Applied Researcher Award | Biolim O-Conference, 5-12 October, 2015 |
| 6 | Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship | No.F.4-2/2006 (BSR)/BL/17-18/0205 April 03 |
| 7 | Kalpana Chawla Institute of Space Science and Research Institute | Scientific Advisor from August, 2021 |
Research and Supervision
| # | Details |
|---|---|
| 1 | Approved Research Guide in Zoology, University of Kerala, with experience in mentoring and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate student research projects |
Mphil or PhD Thesis
| # | Title | Guide Name | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ENGINEERING A STRONG, CATABOLITE REPRESSION-FREE EXPRESSION SYSTEM FOR A THERMOPHILIC AMYLASE | Dr. Mrinalini Nair | Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, MS University fo Baroda, Gujarat |
Research Projects
| # | Title | Investigator(s) | Sponsors |
|---|
Workshop|FDP|Training Programme
| # | Name of the Workshop / FDP / Training programme | Name of the Organizer | Level | Date |
|---|