Prof. Kosseva earned her PhD in technical sciences and chemical engineering, before going on to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. She further developed her research and teaching skills at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and Hiroshima University, Japan. The career progression took her also to the University College Dublin, Ireland. As a lecturer, she set up and led a new research laboratory and acted as a director of new MScEng programme in Biopharmaceutical Engineering. Later, at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo China she established a modern teaching laboratory and taught Biochemical and Materials Engineering modules. She has been awarded numerous international research grants by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, British Council, Royal Society, Medical Research Council (UK), and Water Research Commission (RSA), among others. Her expertise is in the fields of chemical/bioprocess engineering, waste management, environmental and food biotechnology. She acted as an external scientific consultant to several international companies, e.g., Pfizer International Ltd, Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd, Sofia Airport, Lyascovets Winery, and Hitachi Plant Engineering Ltd. She works as independent scientific expert/evaluator on several European Commission Scientific Panels. She is an associated member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Asian/European Federations of Biotechnology, and the International Solid Waste Association. Prof. Kosseva has authored about 100 scientific publications, which have been cited more than 2000 times. She is a lead editor of 3 books published by Academic Press/ Elsevier.
Professor V.K. Joshi, MSc, PhD, is an eminent scientist and a teacher with more than 35 years research experience in fruit fermentation technology, fermented foods, food toxicology, biocolor, quality assurance, and waste utilization.He is fellow of BRSI and ISHA and life member of AFST(I). He is the former head of the Department of Postharvest Technology and the head of Department of Food Science and Technology, at the same university. A recipient of several awards for research and teaching, he has guided several postgraduate students, authored or edited more than 10 books and more than 300 research, reviews, book chapters and popular articles besides presenting several lead papers in conferences and seminars. He had edited special issue of JSIR in 1998 on advances in biotechnology, and Natural Product Radiant on ‘Wine production from Non-Grape fruits’ as a Guest Editor. Had organized Summer School of ICAR as a Director, as a Principal Investigator, handled several research projects funded by ICAR, DBT, DST and NHB. Recently, he retired from the university service and is engaged in editing as Editor-in-chief of International Journal Food and Fermentation Technology besides several other journals , writing/ editing books, providing consultancy on wine production technology, carrying out academic pursuits including scientific input as a member of panel on “Food Contaminants” and “Standards of Alcoholic Beverages” of FSSAI.

Expertise

Wine fermentation technology, waste utilization, biocolour, food fermentation, food microbiology , food processing
Dr. P.S. Panesar is working as Professor, Food Biotechnology Research Laboratory, Department of Food Engineering&Technology, S.L. Institute of Engineering and Technology (Deemed University: Established by Govt. of India), Longowal, Punjab. India. In 2005, he has been awarded BOYSCAST (Better Opportunities for Young Scientists in Chosen Areas of Science&Technology) fellowship by Department of Science&Technology (DST), Ministry of Science&Technology, Govt. of India, to carry out advance research in Industrial Biotechnology at Chembiotech labs, University of Birmingham Research Park, UK. His postdoctoral research focused on the development of immobilized cell technology for the production of lactic acid from whey. In 1999, Dr Panesar was awarded Young Scientist Fellowship by Punjab State Council for Science&Technology, India. He has published more than 80 international/national scientific papers, 50 book reviews in peer-reviewed journals, 20 chapters and has authored/edited 05 books. He is also member of the editorial Advisory Boards of national/international Journals including “International Journal of Biological Macromolecules”.