Dr Das currently serves as the Director at ICMR-NIOH under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
He previously worked as a Scientist E at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata. He is also the principal investigator and coordinator of the Biomedical Informatics Center of ICMR at NICED.
He has an academic and professional background in Clinical Medicine. He joined NICED as an independent investigator and a permanent employee in January 2005. His current research interest spans several areas of host responses to microorganisms (both pathogens and commensals) including immune responses and vaccine development. The major focus of his research is the pathogenesis of human Salmonella infections, development of subunit and conjugate vaccines against Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi and the regulation of mucosal immune responses at the intestine during homeostasis as well as under disease conditions, such as intestinal infections and inflammatory bowel diseases.
Dr Das extensively uses computational tools, in vitro and in vivo techniques and clinical materials to address his research questions. His laboratory has developed a novel mouse model of Salmonella Typhi infection. Using this model, his research has identified several virulence factors critical for the pathogenesis of Salmonella Typhi and developed a candidate subunit vaccine.
His research has been funded by extramural grants from all the major funding agencies of the country (ICMR, DBT, CSIR, DST, DHR) as well as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development.
Dr Das has published 43 original research articles and 3 review articles in reputed international journals, 2 book-chapters and one WHO Module. His innovative research has been granted two international and one national patent. In recognition of his seminal contribution to biomedical and health science research, he has been awarded the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, 2011 by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Fellowship, 2012. He is also an elected member of the West Bengal Academy of Science and Technology.