Professor
Contact Information
Technology Research Center (TRC), Room 252A
grao@umbc.edu
410-455-3415
Rao Lab Website; Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST)
Education
Presidential Young Investigator – National Science Foundation, 1991-1996
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering – Drexel University, 1987
B.S. Chemical Engineering – IIT (Madras), 1984
Research Interests
Govind Rao is Professor of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering and Director of the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. His Ph.D. degree was from Drexel University in Chemical Engineering. He has been a faculty member at UMBC since 1987.
Dr. Rao’s research has focused on applications of fluorescence spectroscopy to bioprocess engineering. His lab has developed next-generation sensors for low-cost non-invasive monitoring of oxygen, pH and pCO2 in bioreactors. In addition, novel sensors for glucose and glutamine have been developed. These sensors have led to a paradigm shift in bioprocess technology, as they collectively enable High Throughput Bioprocessing. In addition, the Rao lab has focused on developing novel applications of Green Fluorescent Protein in Bioprocessing. Its unique fluorescent properties and ease of use in a variety of culture systems have provided new insights into heterologous protein production. Recently, the Rao lab has started developing the next generation of sensors based on surface plasmon coupled fluorescence. These promise to lead to ultra-sensitive and ultra-fast sensors but at low-cost.
He has received several awards. These include the Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation, Outstanding Teaching and Research Awards from UMBC, the Van Lanen Award from the American Chemical Society, the Gaden Award from Biotechnology & Bioengineering, the University System of Maryland Regents Award for Excellence in Research and he has been named a 2003 Innovator of the Year by the Maryland Daily Record. Dr. Rao has several patents and these have been licensed to Fluorometrix, which he co-founded. Dr. Rao has served as the Chair of the Biotechnology Division of the American Chemical Society and on the Editorial Board of several prominent journals. In 2007, he was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Selected Publications – Google Scholar
- Rai, B.; Malmberg, R.; Srinivasan, V.; Ganesh, K.M.; Kambhampati, N.S.V.; Andar, A.; Rao, G.; Sanjeevi, C.B.; Venkatesan, K.; Ramamurthy, S.S. Surface Plasmon-Coupled Dual Emission Platform for Ultrafast Oxygen Monitoring after SARS-CoV-2 Infection. ACS sensors, October 28, 2021.
- Iitani, K.; Tyson, J.; Rao, S.; Ramamurthy, S.S.; Ge, X.; Rao, G. What Do Masks Mask? A Study on Transdermal CO2 Monitoring. Medical Engineering & Physics, October 27, 2021.
- Iitani, K.; Ramamurthy, S.S.; Ge, X.; Rao, G. (2021). Transdermal sensing: in-situ non-invasive techniques for monitoring of human biochemical status. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 71, 198-205
- Mustafa, ALA.; Kostov, Y.; Rao, G. (2021) Apparatus for separating the cellular and liquid portions of a whole blood sample. (US Patent App. 17/176,422).
- Rao, G.; Kostov, Y.; Mustafa, ALA.; Gurramkonda, C. (2021). Method and apparatus for rapid detection of bacterial contamination. (US Patent App. 17/156,915)
- Rao, G.; Kostov, Y.; Andar, A.; Mustafa, ALA. Factory-on-a-chip for production of biologically derived medicines/biopharmaceuticals/biologics/biotherapeutics. (US Patent App. 16/618,473)
- Rao, G.; Kostov, Y.; Punshon-Smith, B.; Adiga, R. (2021). Methods to incorporate machine learning analytics for optimizing protein purity, potency and quality in an on-demand production system for point-of-care delivery. (US Patent App. 17/055,149)
- Iitani, K.; Tyson, J.; Rao, S.; Ramamurthy, S.S.; Ge, X.; Rao, G. (2021)Real-Time Monitoring of Transdermal CO2 Emission Rate While Exercising and Resting with a Mask. ECS Meeting Abstracts 52, 2038.
- Moitra, P.; Alafeef, M.; Dighe, K.; Ray, P.; Chang, J.; Thole, A.; Punshon‐Smith, B.; Tolosa, M.; Ramamurthy, S.S.; Ge, X.; Frey, D.D.; Pan, D.; Rao, G. Rapid and Low‐cost Sampling for Detection of Airborne SARS‐CoV‐2 in Dehumidifier Condensate. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, May 8, 2021.
- Rao, G.; Kostov, Y.; Mustafa, ALA.; Gurramkonda, C. (2021) Method and apparatus for rapid detection of bacterial contamination. (US Patent 10,948,414)
- Borhani, S.; Gurramkonda, C.; Frey, D.; Tolosa, L.; Swartz, J.; Rao, G. Developments in Insulin Manufacturing Using Cell-Free Systems. UMBC Chemical, Biochemical & Environmental Engineering Department, November 19, 2020.
- Rao, G.; Kostov, Y.; Tolosa, L.; Ge, X.; Frey, D.; Borhani, S.G.; Burgenson, D. (2020). System and method for production of on-demand proteins in a portable unit for point of care delivery. (US Patent 10,774,304).
- Burgenson, D.; Linton, J .; Ge, X.; Kostov, Y.; Tolosa, L.; Szeto, G.L.; Rao, G. (2020) A Cell-Free Protein Expression System Derived from Human Primary Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. ACS Synthetic Biology 9 (8), 2188-2196.
- Rao, G. (2020). Sensor Techknowledge: Sensors for Process Development: A Practical Guide. UMBC Chemical, Biochemical & Environmental Engineering Department, July 5, 2020.
- Adiga, R.; Andar, A.; Borhani, S.; Burgenson, D.; Deldari, S.; Frey, D.; Ge, X.; Gopalakrishnan, M.; Gurramkonda, C.; Gutierrez, E.; Jackson, I.L.; Kostov, Y.; Liu, Y.; Moreira, A.; Newman, D.; Piegols, J.; Punshon‐Smith, B.; Rao, G.; Tolosa, L,; Tolosa, M.; Vujaskovic, Z.; Wagner, C.; Wong, L.; Zodda, A. (2020). Manufacturing biological medicines on demand: Safety and efficacy of granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor in a mouse model of total body irradiation. Biotechnology progress 36 (3), e2970.
- Chopda, V.R.; Holzberg, T.; Ge, X.; Folio, B.; Tolosa, M.; Kostov, Y.; Tolosa, L.; Rao, G. (2020).Real‐time dissolved carbon dioxide monitoring I: Application of a novel in situ sensor for CO2 monitoring and control. Biotechnology and bioengineering 117 (4), 981-991.
- Chopda, V.R.; Holzberg, T.; Ge, X.; Folio, B.; Wong, L.; Tolosa, M.; Kostov, Y.; Tolosa, L.; Rao, G. (2020). Real-time dissolved carbon dioxide monitoring II: Surface aeration intensification for efficient CO2 removal in shake flasks and mini-bioreactors leads to superior growth and recombinant protein yields. Biotechnology and bioengineering 117 (4), 992-998.
- Deldari, S.; Rezaei, P.; Liu, Y.; Andar, A.; Rao, G.; Frey, D. (2019). Model-Based Design of Non-affinity Chromatofocusing Capture Method for On-demand Production of Biologics. 2019 AIChE Annual Meeting.
- Rao, G.; Kostov, Y.; Tolosa, L.; Ge, X.; Frey, D. (2019). System and method for production of on-demand proteins in a portable unit for point of care delivery.(US Patent App. 16/506,079).