Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology

Head of the Department 
Viktor Stabnikov 
Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences

(established in 1933, became a graduate department  in 1966)

The Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology (BTM) of National University of Food Technologies has the most experience in Ukraine in training of high level specialists for engineering biotechnology which was started more than 50 years ago. Now, our department is only one in Ukraine, which graduates engineers for pharmaceutical, industrial, food, and environmental biotechnologies. This makes our graduates competitive in the workforce not only in Ukraine, but worldwide.

Education is performed by the specialty 162 «Biotechnology and Bioengineering». After obtaining the educational degree «Bachelor», the graduates can continue their education by the specialties «Pharmaceutical biotechnology» or «Industrial biotechnology». Graduates with a Master of Engineering degree have an opportunity to obtain a degree of «Doctor of philosophy» (equivalent of PhD) in Biotechnology.

The Department also performs the distant learning in biotechnology. Graduates from the colleges and secondary technical schools with the specialties close to «Biotechnology», including medical specialities, can continue their education in our department by shortcut academic program.

BENEFITS OF EDUCATION IN THE DEPATMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY OF NUFT:

• High level of teaching: training of specialists in the Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology is performed by experienced lecturers that have large experience of scientific and practical work on the industrial enterprises and scientific organizations in Ukraine and abroad. Their scientific and educational achievements are ranked at a high level. More than 80% of department faculty is Doctors of Science and PhD of biological or technical sciences of the specialty 03.00.20 – biotechnology.
• Advanced research and training facilities of the Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology. Leading pharmaceutical companies and other enterprises of Ukraine collaborating with  our department, support  supplementation and renewing of the laboratory equipment and materials.  This support ensures a high level of practical training and experimental research that is especially valued by the employers.
• The Department is a leader in the methodological support of disciplines and edition of the textbooks and workbooks, which are used for studying by the students and engineers-biotechnologists in Ukraine and worldwide. 
• International level of diplomas - the diploma of graduating students of the Department are recognized without additional confirmation in many  countries of Europe, USA and Canada.
• High achievements of our students on the All-Ukrainian Olympiads, All-Ukrainian competitions of the student scientific research demonstrated a high level of teaching and training.

These benefits of biotechnological education in the Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology of NUFT, and also more than 50-years’ experience of the in training of high level specialists for engineers-biotechnologists ensure the extraordinary interest of employers in the graduating students of our department and real prospective of employment not only on leading industrial enterprises but also in the best-known pharmaceutical companies of Ukraine, regional representative offices of world companies, as well as a job in design, research and control-analytical organizations.

website

The department trains:

Department Disciplines

THE PRIORITY DIRECTIONS OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT ARE:

• Integrated technologies of microbial synthesis of surface-active substances and phytohormones
• Development of environmentally friendly and biosafe biocement
• Biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles by yeast and study of their biological properties
• Production and application of antimicrobial metabolites of micro- and macromycetes
• Microbiological safety in the processing and storage of food products using biofilms
• Design of bacterial therapeutic drugs - immunobiotics for the correction of secondary immunodeficiency of the macroorganism
• The use of combined biopreparations in ensiling of plant raw materials
• Treatment of concentrated wastewater from food enterprises by biotechnological methods to obtain renewable energy and organic fertilizers
• Application of expert systems for optimization of technological processes to design biotechnological productions
• Research of risks and dangerous factors in food production
• Improving the biotechnology for the treatment of wastewater from sugar beet plants
• Development of technologies for dairy products with functional properties
• Intensification of biotechnology for the treatment of wastewater from dairy enterprises
• Development of technology for production and application of biocement for environmental protection
• Study of urease activity of lactic acid bacteria as alternative biological agents for biocementation

Research projects

1. «The microbially-coated microplastics in neustonic water-air interpface and their on aquatic biotops», joint Ukrainian-Latvian project, Principal environmental impacts Investigator, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Prof. Viktor Stabnikov.
2. «Complex microbial preparations of multifunctional purpose: from regulation of biosynthesis and properties to prospects of practical use» 0119U002575 Project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Principal Investigator, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Prof. Tetiana Pirog.
3. «Physiological basis for regulation of microbial synthesis for creation of biotechnologies of complex drugs with stable polyfunctional properties» 0116U001530 Project of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Principal Investigator, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Prof. Tetiana Pirog.
4. «Scientific basis for creation of complex non-waste technology of microbial preparations with various biological properties» (2013 - 2015) Project of the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine, 0112U007799 (Government order), Principal Investigator, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Prof. Tetiana Pirog.

Research which is constantly carried out at the department aimed at solving many current problems, including the development of high-efficiency resource-saving biotechnologies for implementation in the microbiological, pharmaceutical and food industries.

There are two scientific schools at the department namely «Physiological and metabolic basis for regulation and intensification of biotechnologies of practically valuable metabolites» such as  microbial surfactants; selenium-enriched yeast, enzyme preparations; polysaccharides, and interferons, and «High-efficient technologies for protection of environment» such as biotreatment of wastewater from different industrial enterprises, production of biogas and fertilizers with prolongation effect, bioconversion of industrial waste into value-added products. 

There is a postgraduate course at the department in the specialty «Biotechnology» (technical sciences). Over the years of its existence, the department has prepared more than 60 PhD and 6 Doctors of Sciences.

The results of scientific research activity of our scientists are constantly published in the leading rating scientific journals of scientometric databases Scopus, PubMed, Springer Link, Biomed Lab, EBSCO, RINC, and Index Copernicus.

To comprehensively promote of the scientific, inventive and other creative activities of students and undergraduates in the field of «Biotechnology», the scientific group «BIOTECH» has been created and has been successfully functioning for several years. Young scientists can use for their activity two research laboratories equipped with everything which is needed for scientific research. The scientific potential of the department can be assessed by the level of students' training, which is evidenced by numerous prizes and awards at scientific competitions, international conferences and symposiums.

In recent years, students, undergraduates and graduate students of the department have won a number of prestigious awards and diplomas in the biotechnology: diplomas of the Competition for the best scientific work «Make Ukraine energy efficient», Diploma of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, diplomas of I-III degrees in all-Ukrainian competitions of student scientific works in natural, technical and humanitarian sciences, diplomas of I-III degrees in the II round of the All-Ukrainian student Olympiad in biotechnology.

Our scientific achievements allow us to look to the future with confidence and contribute to a more rapid onset of the era of biotechnology in Ukraine.