To impart quality education to students inspiring creative and innovative talent by adopting effective teaching and learning methodologies. To conduct research in applied field of microbial and health sciences beneficial for the society and work for the core values, mission, and vision of the institute

Dr. Archer, Ann Catherine is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences. She has completed her M.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Mysore, Mysuru (2011) and was subsequently awarded a Ph.D. degree from the University of Mysore, Mysuru (2018). Her doctoral research entitled 'Immunomodulatory effects of probiotic Lactobacillus spp. from dairy and human origin' was carried out at CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru with a UGC fellowship (Maulana Azad National Fellowship). She has published ten papers in peer-reviewed journals, two book chapters, and presented papers in several National and International conferences.

Her area of interest is probiotics, prebiotics, the human microbiome, antibiotic resistance, and antimicrobial compounds from lactic acid bacteria (LAB). She is skilled in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, animal cell culture, and animal handling. Her research aims to isolate and identify novel probiotic species of human origin and fermented foods and study their potential in alleviating diseases through molecular approaches. She's also involved in developing suitable prebiotic and synbiotic formulations as well as characterizing bacteriocins from LAB. Another area of focus is the composition and role of the human microbiome (gut, oral, vaginal, and placental) in healthy and diseased conditions. Additionally, investigating the presence of antibiotic resistance and finding suitable approaches to tackle them using antimicrobial compounds and nanoparticles is one of her research goals. Apart from research, she is also a passionate teacher keen on educating and inspiring young minds towards microbiological basics, advances, and innovation through an interdisciplinary approach. She believes in using conventional and innovative teaching and learning methods to effectively impart the subject and motivate students to pursue higher education, research, or career opportunities. Currently, she is also a member of the Chemical Committee responsible for indent and maintenance of chemical stocks and Cultural Convenor for Dept. of Water & Health-Faculty of Life Sciences. Currently, she is the recipient of the prestigious DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Early Career Fellowship.

Probiotics, Prebiotics, Human microbiome, Antibiotic resistance, Antimicrobial compounds from Lactic acid bacteria (LAB)