Application Form 2026-27
banner

Dr. Khushboo Warjurkar

Home + Team + Dr. Khushboo Warjurkar
Dr. Khushboo Warjurkar

Dr. Khushboo Warjurkar

Assistant Professor

Overview

Dr. Sarika Pawar holds a Ph.D. in Biology Applied to Human Health from Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy, where her doctoral and postdoctoral research focused on the cyclic-di-GMP signalling system and quorum-sensing pathways of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as targets for biofilm inhibition. With over 20 years of experience across microbiology, molecular biology, and food biotechnology, she has developed strong expertise in bacterial cell-to-cell communication, biofilm biology, and postbiotic science.

Her research career spans international positions at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Roma Tre University, Italy, and she currently holds a postdoctoral role at the Volcani Institute, Agricultural Research Organization, Israel, where she works on postbiotic interventions and food matrix engineering using Bacillus and Lactiplantibacillus systems.

She also spent more than a decade teaching microbiology at Dr. D. Y. Patil University in Pune. She has received competitive doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, including support from the Italian Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation and the NIFA-BARD international grant programme. She holds an Indian patent and has contributed to several research publications. Her current focus is on programming probiotic function through biofilm architecture and interactions with food matrices.

Qualifications
  • B. Tech in Biotechnology
  • M. Tech in Biotechnology
  • PhD in Nanobiotechnology with specializations in Carbon Nanomaterials, Nanozymes, Biosensing, Antioxidant Therapeutics, and Green Nanotechnology.
Research: 4 yrs 9 months

Awards and Honor

  • Awarded with the BEST ORAL PRESENTATION at the “International Conference on the importance of food systems and the environment for nutrition”, 22-23 Dec 2023, Centre for Converging Technologies.

Specialization

  • Her research interests include green carbon nanodots, nanozymes, biosensing, molecular biology, and sustainable nanomaterials for diagnostics and healthcare.

Publications

  • Warjurkar, K., Panda, S. and Sharma, V. Red emissive carbon dots: a promising next-generation material with intracellular applicability. J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023, 11, 37, 8848-8865. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3TB01378B
  • Warjurkar, K., Patyal, R. and Sharma, V. Multifunctional Tradescantia pallida Derived Copper-Nitrogen Co-Doped Green Carbon Dots as Nanozyme, Dual Sensor and Fluorescent Ink for Anti-counterfeiting and Smart Textiles. ACS Appl. Bio Mater, 2025, 8, 6, 4779-4790. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsabm.5c00150
  • Warjurkar, K., Patyal, R. and Sharma, V. Sustainable Biomimetic Nanozymes: Catalase-like Nitrogen-Doped Green Carbon Dots for Efficient Intracellular ROS Scavenging. Adv. Sustain. Sys, 2026.
  • Patyal, R., Warjurkar, K. and Sharma, V. Advancements in Tumor Diagnostics through Carbon Dot‐Assisted Photoacoustic Imaging. Adv. Opt. Mater, 2025, 13, 4, 2402343. https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202402343
  • Patyal, R., Warjurkar, K. and Sharma, V., Optically Encoded Nanodots for Logic-Gated Sensing and Antioxidant Defense. Langmuir, 2025, 41, 44, 29801-29813. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c04249
  • Patyal, R., Warjurkar, K. and Sharma, V. Carbon Dots for Next-Generation Cancer Theranostics: From Advanced Imaging to Targeted Therapy. ACS Appl. Bio Mater, 2025, 8, 12, 10576-10602. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.5c01797

Books Chapter

  • Kumarasamy, S., Warjurkar, K., Sharma, L., Sharma, V. Optically Activatable Photosensitizers for Imaging and Therapy. In: Prasad, R., Mohan Yallapu, M. (eds) Advancements in Cancer Theranostics. Springer, Singapore, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-95-0938-6_3.

Patent

  • Vinay Sharma, Rajan Patyal, Khushboo Warjurkar. A method of developing multifunctional catalase mimicking ruthenium-doped carbon dots and applications thereof. Application Number-202511074999.

Conferences

  • Attended International Conference on Nanomaterials in Biology (ICNB 2023), 19-22 Nov 2023, IIT Gandhinagar, Gujrat, India.
  • Attended International Conference on the importance of food systems and the environment for nutrition, 22-23 Dec 2023, Centre for Converging Technologies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India.
  • Attended National Conference on Advanced & Emerging Materials for Technological Applications (AEMTA-2024), 15-16 Mach 2024, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal, India.

Workshops

  • Attended workshop on “Basic techniques in clinical microbiology” organized by the CSIR-IIIM, Jammu, India, Feb/13-17/2023.
  • Attended molecular docking 08-day online workshop using AutoDock, SIAS Research Forum, July/10-19/2023.
  • Volunteered a workshop on “High End Workshop on Nanotechnology in Healthcare: From Diagnostics to Therapeutics” organized by the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, J&K, India, May/13-17/2024.
  • Attended workshop on “Micro-fabrication and Biosensor” organized by the Department of Chemical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, J&K, India, from Jan/18-19/2025.
  • Attended workshop on “Bio-Medical Science and Bio-Medical Engineering”, at IIT Jammu, Feb/11/2025.
x
ctaicon