National Center for Electron Beam Research website: http://ebeam.tamu.edu

Suresh D. Pillai, Ph.D. is the Director of the National Center for Electron Beam Research at Texas A&M University. He is a Professor of Microbiology and Texas AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow at Texas A&M University. He holds a joint appointment in the Departments of Nutrition and Food Sciences and Poultry Science.

He directs the National Center for Electron Beam Research at Texas A&M University. The Center serves as an un-biased venue for academic, government, and industry scientists to carry out strategic electronic pasteurization and sterilization research using Electron Beam (E-beam) and X-rays.  The Center brings together academic, industry, and government researchers from across the United States and overseas to exploit E-Beam and X-ray technologies to benefit mankind in different areas. The Center actively promotes these technologies worldwide as part of its mission to harness E-Beam and X-ray technologies to “heal, clean, and feed the world, and beyond”.  The Center has developed solutions for the medical industry, wastewater industry and the food industry and is actively working with NASA to develop foods for long duration space missions.

His research focuses on bacterial cell-to-cell signaling, the molecular ecology of pathogens in natural and man-made ecosystems and the use of novel technologies to concentrate, detect, and decontaminate pathogens. His research on molecular microbial ecology and cell-cell signaling is targeted at understanding the complex and hitherto poorly understood relationship between microbial communities and human behavior. His research is aimed at understanding the role that the GI tract-associated microbiome has on human behavior. His research has been funded by federal agencies such as the USDA, Department of Defense, NASA, Department of Homeland Security, EPA, and a variety of private sources. He serves on the Editorial Board of scientific journals and on the Boards of a few private companies.

Dr. Pillai can serve as a major professor for the following degree programs at Texas A&M University

Food Science & Technology: M.S. & Ph.D

Poultry Science: M.S. & Ph.D.

Toxicology: MS. & Ph.D.

Water Management and Hydrological Science: M.S. & Ph.D.

Veterinary Pathobiology: M.S. & Ph.D.

Molecular (genomic, proteomic and metabolomics) responses of target and non-target microorganisms when exposed to high and low energy electron beam (eBeam) and X-ray irradiation technologies.  Modulating gut microbiome for commercial purposes. Exploiting eBeam and X-ray technologies to “clean’ the environment, “heal” humans and animals, “feed’ humans and animals and “shape” next generation plastics and polymers using eBeam technology. Molecular ecology of commensal organisms and opportunistic pathogens in natural and man-made ecosystems such as foods, water, and the environment. Factors controlling expression of virulence genes as it relates to food processing methods.  Novel molecular microbial detection and decontamination technologies.

1. Mohamed, AB, Chavez, RA, Wagacha, MJ, Mutegi, CK, Muthomi, JW, Pillai, SD et al.. Efficacy of electron beam irradiation in reduction of mycotoxin-producing fungi, aflatoxin, and fumonisin, in naturally contaminated maize slurry. Toxicon X. 2022;16 :100141. doi: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2022.100141. PubMed PMID:36406140 PubMed Central PMC9667305.
2. Huang, M, Hasan, MK, Pillai, SD, Pharr, M, Staack, D. Electron beam technology for Re-processing of personal protective equipment. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993. 2023;202 :110557. doi: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2022.110557. PubMed PMID:36189446 PubMed Central PMC9516357.
3. Girard-Perier, N, Marque, SRA, Dupuy, N, Claeys-Bruno, M, Gaston, F, Dorey, S et al.. Effects of X-Rays, Electron Beam, and Gamma Irradiation on Chemical and Physical Properties of EVA Multilayer Films. Front Chem. 2022;10 :888285. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2022.888285. PubMed PMID:35646817 PubMed Central PMC9131251.