Dr. Soumya Salas, joined St. Albert’s College (Autonomous) as Asst. Professor in Chemistry in 2021. She obtained her post-graduation in Applied Chemistry in 2005, from Maharajas College, Ernakulam. Out of her zest to become a trained teacher, she gained a Bachelor degree in Education in 2006, from Mount Carmel College, Kottayam, and qualified the State Eligibility Test in Chemistry during the same year. She aced JRF-NET in Chemical Sciences in December 2009 and the GATE exams (Chemistry) in Feb.2010 and Jan. 2013 as well. She pursued her doctoral degree under the guidance of Dr. Kajal Chakraborty, Principal Scientist, at ICAR- CMFRI, Kochi. Her doctoral studies were based on the isolation and characterisation of small molecular weight pharmacophores from marine gastropods, as defense metabolites against oxidative stress induced diseases,
She has worked as research scholar in externally funded major projects under SERB scheme from DST, and ICAR-Consortium Research platform projects. Additionally, she has research expertise in the area of biomonitoring with regard to pesticides and heavy metals. She has to her credit, a number of research publications in peer reviewed journals of international repute. She has secured two best paper awards for the presentations of her research works at international conferences. The best oral presentation (Scientist) award under Chemical Science session at the 33rd Kerala Science Congress, 2021, is also unto her credit. She has technically assisted and authored two chapters in the e-book “Recent advances in bioactive compounds from marine organisms and development of high-value products for health management” published by ICAR-CMFRI and a chapter in “Research Perspectives in Chemistry for Sustainable Development” by Excel India Publishers, New Delhi.
She has seven years’ experience in teaching various subject areas of Chemistry to the undergraduate and postgraduate students of a number of colleges affiliated to M.G. University, and Kerala University. Though for a brief period, she did enter into Government Service as Technical Assistant at the prestigious Department of Chemical Examiners Laboratory of Kerala State. According to her, teaching the ‘philosophical discipline of Chemistry’ (as she puts it ) would bless her with a platform to talk to her students about the natural world and the world of chemistry-its do’s and don’ts …