Administration

Vice-Chancellor

Born on 01, May 1948 at Nilaiyoor, Aranthangi in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, Dr. K. Ramasamy received secondary education at Veludaiyar High School, Tiruvarur and Board High School, Aranthangi. He completed his basic and masters' degrees at Annamalai University. He went on to study M.S. in Fermentation Technology and Ph.D. degree in Industrial Microbiology at Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. In the same University, he gained Post-Doctoral experience in Electron Microscopy and later at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA on Gene Cloning. He joined in Tamilnadu Agricultural university and served in the departments of Soil Science, Plant Pathology, Microbiology, Bio-Energy, Environmental Science and Biotechnology.

He initiated the Oyster mushroom work and later linked it to All India Co- ordinated Project. From the early period, he started getting externally funded projects and the establishment of Bio – Energy Centre with DST support in 1982 was his first solid initiative. Popularization of Biogas programme and Mushroom cultivation brought laurels and recognition to three districts of Tamil Nadu by Ministry of Non – conventional Energy Sources. The Department of Environmental Science was revived in 1988 with his team of colleagues who worked in 6 externally funded projects. Through active State, Government of India and Corporate assistance, he established a referral laboratory, which was acclaimed as the best laboratory facility in Asia-Pacific and rewarded with a AICAR project on reclamation of tannery effluent contaminated soil in Vellore Dt. His team also worked for the Ecological Authority and finalized the compensation for the tannery effluent polluted farms.

As a lab-bench worker he established that cellulolytic bacteria release the enzymic catalyst for cellulose degradation and deduced the pathway of degradation which is text book information for biodegradation students. His personal research publications played a key role in understanding the mechanism of cellulose and lignin degradation. His research activity is continuously supported from 1982 by different funding agencies like Indian Council of Agriculture Research, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, BRNS-Atomic Energy Centre, MNES and international agencies like AICAR-Australia, FAO-Rome, USDA and EU. He has published 120 research publications 7 books, 23 bulletins and organized 18 trainings and international workshops to provide hands on training to fellow colleagues.

The knowledge gained from his research was developed into practical technologies and he established academic – industry partnership for the past 20 years. He provided need – based solutions for waste recycling and disposal and worked with industries like SPIC, TNPL, Seshasayee, SIV, Sakthi and Bannariamman to solve the environmental difficulties. Scientific solution provided by him, helped the Tannery and Distillery Industries from closure. He also served a member for the Research and Development for SISMA. He established the protocol and monitoring criteria for the disposal of treated spent wash on land, a national directive.

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