Dr. Sanjay Kumar | Food Safety | Best Researcher Award

Principal Scientist at Niagara Bottling, United States

Dr. Sanjay Kumar is a Principal Scientist specializing in food safety and microbiology with over two decades of international research experience. He holds a Ph.D. from ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, India, with a strong foundation in microbial ecology and antimicrobial interventions. Dr. Kumar’s research centers on the inactivation of foodborne pathogens using novel, GRAS-status antimicrobials, quantitative microbiological risk assessment, and the microbiome of food animals.

Profile:

• Scopus
• Google Scholar

🎓 Education:

• Ph.D. in Microbiology, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, India (2010)

• M.S. in Microbiology, Kurukshetra University, India (2001)

• B.S. in Industrial Microbiology, Kurukshetra University, India (1998)

🔬 Research Interests:

• Control of foodborne pathogens using GRAS-status antimicrobials

• Microbial ecology and contamination in food processing systems

• Risk assessment through omics-based microbial exposure evaluation

💼 Professional Experience:

• Principal Scientist, Niagara Bottling LLC (2019–Present)
  Leads microbiological R&D, food safety strategy, and regulatory compliance across 40+ plants.

• Staff Scientist, Poultry Science, University of Georgia (2015–2019)
  Focused on microbiome, food safety interventions, and poultry gut health.

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Pennsylvania (2013–2015)
  Investigated antimicrobial resistance and microbiome shifts in dairy cattle.

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (2012–2013)
  Characterized rumen methanogens and enzymes for methane mitigation.

🧪 Notable Funded Projects (Co-PI):

• U.S. Soybean Board: Gut health in antibiotic-free broilers

• Innovation Enzymes: Enzyme supplementation and poultry performance

• Huvepharma: Probiotics against poultry pathogens

🏆 Awards and Honors:

• Best Poster Awards (CAES, Center for Food Safety, ASAS)

• ICAR Senior Research Fellowship

• DBT Travel Award (BioMicroWorld, Lisbon)

• Outstanding Teacher Award – Dolphin College, India

Citation Metrics:

• Total Citations: 3,680

• Citations Since 2020: 2,237

• h-index: 29 (26 since 2020)

• i10-index: 41 (30 since 2020)

Publication Top Notes:

• Chicken Gut Microbiota: Importance and Detection Technology
  BOWKK Yue Shang, Sanjay Kumar
  Frontiers in Veterinary Sciences, 2018
  📚 Citations: 479

• Magnesium ammonium phosphate formation, recovery and its application as valuable resources: a review
  YH Liu, S Kumar, JH Kwag, CS Ra
  Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 2012
  📚 Citations: 229

• Probiotics and atopic dermatitis: an overview
  YHP IA Rather, VK Bajpai, S Kumar, J Lim, WK Paek
  Frontiers in Microbiology, 2016
  📚 Citations: 224

• New aspects and strategies for methane mitigation from ruminants
  S Kumar et al.
  Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2014
  📚 Citations: 205

• Effect of antibiotic withdrawal in feed on chicken gut microbial dynamics…
  HT S Kumar et al.
  PLoS ONE, 2018
  📚 Citations: 199

• Factors affecting rumen methanogens and methane mitigation strategies
  S Kumar et al.
  World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2009
  📚 Citations: 169

• Associative patterns among anaerobic fungi, methanogenic archaea and bacteria…
  D Kumar, S., Indugu, N., Vecchiarelli, B., Pitta
  Frontiers in Microbiology, 2015
  📚 Citations: 168

• Temporal dynamics in the ruminal microbiome of dairy cows during the transition period
  Pitta, Kumar, et al.
  Journal of Animal Science, 2014
  📚 Citations: 155

• Metagenomic assessment of the functional potential of the rumen microbiome…
  Pitta, Kumar, et al.
  Anaerobe, 2016
  📚 Citations: 133

• Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella…
  Velasquez, Macklin, Kumar, et al.
  Poultry Science, 2018
  📚 Citations: 118