Principal Scientist
Girinath G. Pillai
- girinath@cvjsynbio.org , girinath@cusat.ac.in
Centre for Synthetic Biology and Bio-Manufacturing, CUSAT
Dr. Girinath G. Pillai is Principal Scientist – BioAI at the CVJ Centre for Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing, India, where he leads advanced initiatives at the intersection of artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and biomanufacturing. He joined CVJ in May 2026 following his tenure as Lead Scientist at Sygnature Discovery, UK, where he specialized in pre-clinical drug discovery.
Dr. Pillai’s expertise lies in computational chemistry, AI-driven drug discovery, and agentic automation pipelines, with a strong focus on target identification, cryptic pocket discovery, and molecular glue design. He has played a significant role in advancing a peptide drug conjugate that is progressing toward clinical trials scheduled for 2026.
At CVJ, he is spearheading next-generation BioAI platforms for synthetic biology, including the development of fermentation digital twins for predictive bioprocess optimization and AI-guided enzyme engineering for enhanced catalytic performance and scalable biomanufacturing. His work integrates multi-omics data, machine learning, and mechanistic modelling to design, simulate, and optimize biological systems for applications in healthcare, sustainability, and the bioeconomy.
A former Marie Curie Research Fellow, Dr. Pillai completed his PhD jointly at the University of Florida (USA) and the University of Tartu (Estonia) under the mentorship of Professors Alan R. Katritzky and Mati Karelson. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications, holds a US patent, and has contributed to multiple book chapters, along with pioneering efforts in computational longevity research in India.
Beyond his research, Dr. Pillai is a committed mentor and advocate of open science. He is widely recognized for developing impactful KNIME workflows and for his leadership role in the Government of India’s Drug Discovery Hackathon (2020). He continues to serve as a research advisor to leading institutions worldwide, including VIT Vellore and Pondicherry University, fostering interdisciplinary innovation in computational and synthetic biology.
Publications/Patents: : https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=Fbi3BF0AAAAJ&hl=en
Division Overview:
The BioAI Research Group at the CVJ Centre for Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing is a newly established interdisciplinary initiative focused on integrating artificial intelligence and computational modelling to accelerate innovation in the bioeconomy. The group is dedicated to developing data-driven and predictive frameworks for designing, optimizing, and scaling biological systems, with a strong emphasis on translational impact in biomanufacturing, healthcare, and sustainability.
- Fermentation Digital Twins & Process Optimisation
- AI-Guided Enzyme Engineering
- Omics Data Modelling and Integration
- Target Identification and Prioritisation
Collaborations:
- Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
- Pondicherry University, Puducherry
- Zastra Innovations, Bengaluru
- Nyro Research India, Kochi
Achievements:
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Part of the team discovering peptide drug conjugate an anti-cancer drug candidate progressing to clinic in 2026.
Microsoft Innovation Award – Best Scientific Start-Up Pitch (Estonia, 2015)
Patent Inventor – Composition of Matter Patent Filed (Provisional, 2023)
Prestigious Fellowships
Graduate School Research Scholarship – European Social Fund (FMTDK, 2013) Research Project Funding – US Department of Agriculture – ARS (USA, 2011)
Selected for EPFL Doctoral Program in Chemistry – Did not opt.
Research Studentship on Malaria – TN State Council for Science & Technology (India, 2005)