Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation

Mr Apurba Anirban

PhD Researcher
Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences
0405930221
Mr Apurba Lal Ray (Apurba Anirban)

Mr Apurba Lal Ray (Apurba Anirban) is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Botany of Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has been completed his Bachelor and Master’s studies from the Department of Botany of University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. His Master’s thesis was on ‘Genetic and molecular investigation of mutants of Neurospora crassa induced with UV ray and extract of some medicinal plants’. Later on, he started genetic and phytoremediation study of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea).

Mr Apurba commenced his PhD research at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) of the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia on 01 Oct 2018 on ‘The development of purple supersweet sweetcorn’. He has been awarded the University of Queensland Research Training Tuition Fee and Living Stipend Scholarships as well as Overseas Student Health Cover to pursue his PhD research. He has developed purple pericarp sweetcorn based on the shrunken-2 gene by successful five field experiments at Gatton, Queensland in 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively. For his extraordinary research, Mr Apurba has been awarded 'Discovery and Innovation Award' under '2020 Excellence Awards' from QAAFI, UQ on 02 Dec 2020. Moreover, he has secured 2nd place in the QAAFI Annual Research Meeting (Part-5) abstract competition under ‘Nutrition and Food Science’ category on 01 Dec 2020.

As part of his teaching and research career Mr Apurba has been participated various national and international conferences, presented papers and published some peer-reviewed articles in renowned journals. In parallel to the fieldwork research activities, he has also been completed biochemical (anthocyanin and sugar profiling) and molecular (DNA extraction, SSR marker assay, PCR, Gel electrophoresis) work as part of his PhD research. Currently he is analysing the whole genome sequenced data to unveil the molecular mechanism of the novel anthocyanin-rich purple sweetcorn for future breeding programme as well as commercialisation of the novel purple sweetcorn. Mr Apurba is now in the last semester of his PhD research.

Awards/scholarships:

  1. Discovery and Innovation Award' under '2020 Excellence Awards' from QAAFI, UQ on 02 Dec 2020.
  2. 2nd place in the QAAFI Annual Research Meeting (Part-5) abstract competition under ‘Nutrition and Food Science’ category on 01 Dec 2020.
  3. University of Queensland ‘Research Training Scholarship’ (Tuition fee scholarship, Living stipend scholarship, Overseas student health cover) for Doctor of Philosophy research on 01 Oct 2018.
  4. Government General Merit Scholarship’ for outstanding performance in the B.Sc. (Honours) Examination of 2004 (held in 2006), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Thesis supervision:

Mr Apurba Lal Ray supervised Master’s thesis project entitled “Assessment of phytoremediation potential of wild and EMS induced plants’ (2018).

Project grant:

Mr Apurba Lal Ray was granted research project fund from Jagannath University, Bangladesh in 2017 to conduct his research project on ‘Molecular genetic investigation of EMS induced Brassica juncea heavy metal hyperaccumulator genotypes’.

UQ 3MT thesis presentation:

Mr Apurba Lal Ray presented his PhD research findings at the University of Queensland three Minute thesis (UQ 3MT) public event on 13 July 2020 on ‘The purple sweetcorn challenge’. Video link.

Research highlights on social media:

Attended conferences:

  • 63rd Annual Maize Genetics Meeting (virtual), 8-12 March 2021, USA.
  • QAAFI Annual Research Meeting (QARM), 01 December 2020, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
  • Nutrition Society Australia (NSA) Conference (virtual), 26 Aug 2020, Brisbane, Queensland,
  • Australia.
  • International Tropical Agricultural Conference (TropAg) (as an invited speaker), 11-13 Nov 2019, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
  • 7th International Botanical Conference, 3-4 February 2018, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • 4th International Botanical Conference, 16-18 January 2009, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Annual Botanical Conferences, 9 March 2008, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Conference presentations:

  1. ‘Investigating anthocyanin and sugar development in purple pericarp sweetcorn’, ‘63rd Annual Maize Genetics Meeting’ (virtual), 2021, USA.
  2. ‘Anthocyanin-rich purple sweetcorn development— a journey towards naturally nutritious healthy food’, QAAFI Annual Research Meeting (QARM), 2020, Australia.
  3. 'The development of naturally nutritious purple sweetcorn’, ‘Nutrition Society Australia (NSA) Conference’ (virtual), 2020, Australia.
  4. ‘Supersweet purple sweetcorn: breaking the genetic link’, ‘International Tropical Agricultural (TropAg) Conference’, 2019, Australia.
  5. ‘Study of enzyme activities of mutants of Neurospora crassa induced with UV ray & leaf extract of Abroma augusta L’, ‘International Botanical Conference’, 2008, Bangladesh.
  6. ‘Study of mutagenic effect of Raulfia serpentina root extract and Momordica charantia fruit extract on Neurospora crassa fungus’, 'Annual Botanical Conference, 2007', Bangladesh.

Abstract publications:

  1. Apurba Anirban, Hung Hong and Tim O’Hare (2021). Investigating anthocyanin and sugar development in purple pericarp sweetcorn. Online here.
  2. Apurba Anirban (2020). Developing naturally nutritious purple sweetcorn. Online here.
  3. Apurba Anirban and Tim O’Hare (2020). Supersweet purple sweetcorn: breaking the genetic link. Proceedings 36(1), 6134. Online here. 
  4. Apurba Lal Ray (2020). Anthocyanin-rich purple sweetcorn development— a journey towards naturally nutritious healthy food.
  5. Apurba Lal Ray and Tahsina Rahim (2008). ‘Study of enzyme activities of mutants of Neurospora crassa induced with UV ray & leaf extract of Abroma augusta L’.
  6. Apurba Lal Ray and Tahsina Rahim (2007). Study of mutagenic effect of Raulfia serpentina root extract and Momordica charantia fruit extract on Neurospora crassa fungus.

Article publications:

  1. Ray AL (2019). Antifungal activity of Rauwolfia serpentina root extract against Neurospora crassa and genetic study of induced mutants. Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research 54(3): 241-246. Online here
  2. Ray AL (2016). Genetic linkage of biochemical mutants of Neurospora crassa induced with ultraviolet radiation. IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences 11(2): 08- 11. Online here.
  3. Ray AL (2015). Soluble protein contents of ultraviolet radiation induced mutants of Neurospora crassa. Jagannath University Journal of Life & Earth Sciences 1(1): 118-120
  4. Ray AL and Rahim T (2010). Cellulase and xylanase activities of mutants of Neurospora crassa induced with leaf extract of Abroma augusta L. Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research 45(2): 151-154. Online here.
  5. Ray AL, Jahan MA and Rahim T (2010). Mutation in Neurospora crassa with leaf extract of Citrus aurantifolia and their soluble protein content Dhaka University Journal of Biological Sciences 19(2): 151-155.  Online here. 
  6. Rahim T, Ray AL, Beauty SP and Gomes DJ (2009). Induction of mutation in Neurospora crassa with ultraviolet radiation and evaluation of cellulase and xylanase activities. Bangladesh Journal of Botany 38(2): 201-203. Online here.

Publications

Journal Article (1)

Journal Article

Anirban, Apurba, Hong, Hung T. and O’Hare, Tim J. (2023). Profiling and quantification of anthocyanins in purple-pericarp sweetcorn and purple-pericarp maize. Molecules, 28 (6) 2665, 1-13. doi: 10.3390/molecules28062665

Areas of research

Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences