Dr Venkata Chelikani
Details
Department: School of Science
Campus: Bundoora West Australia
venkata.chelikani@rmit.edu.au
ORCID: 0000-0003-4241-6963
Open to
- Industry Projects
- Masters Research or PhD student supervision
About
My group studies how dietary molecules reprogram microbial gene expression through DNA methylation in Lactobacillus acidophilus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using transcriptomic and methylomic profiling, we map how nutrient signals are written into the microbial epigenome and examine how these marks shape stress responses, cellular ageing, and adaptive potential.
A central finding is that microbes carry a molecular memory of their nutritional environment, one that can be read, written, and potentially engineered.
I coined the term Nutrifermentics to describe this emerging intersection of nutrition science, microbial physiology, and epigenetics. The applied goals are precision probiotics tuned by their growth substrates and fermentation systems that respond intelligently to dietary inputs.
My academic training and research experience across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and India inform a comparative and systems level approach to food microbiology and fermentation science.
Research fields
- 310704 Microbial genetics
- 310604 Industrial biotechnology diagnostics (incl. biosensors)
- 310504 Epigenetics (incl. genome methylation and epigenomics)
- 300607 Food technology
Academic positions
- Senior Lecturer
- RMIT University
- Melbourne, Australia
- 2026 – Present
- Adjunct Senior Lecturer
- Lincoln University
- Lincoln, New Zealand
- 2026 – Present
- Senior Lectuer
- Lincoln University
- Lincoln, New Zealand
- 2024 – 2026
- Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer
- Lincoln University
- Lincoln, New Zealand
- 2015 – 2024
- Institute Postdoctoral Fellow
- Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
- Mumbai, India
- 2012 – 2014
Teaching interests
My teaching focuses on food microbiology and microbial safety, with an emphasis on applying molecular microbiology to real food systems. I teach across fermentation, applied biotechnology, and food innovation, linking fundamental microbial processes with industry practice and regulation.
I integrate current research in microbial physiology, epigenetic regulation, and fermentation science into teaching to support research informed learning. Students develop skills in experimental design, data interpretation, and critical evaluation of microbiological risks and opportunities in food production.
I also contribute to postgraduate supervision in areas including microbial epigenetics, probiotics, and functional food development. My teaching aims to build independent thinkers who can translate microbiological knowledge into practical solutions for academia, industry, and innovation focused careers.
Research interests
My research focuses on nutrient driven epigenetic regulation in microbes relevant to food and health. I investigate how dietary molecules alter DNA methylation and transcriptional states, leading to stable changes in microbial metabolism and phenotype.
Key interests include the epigenetic control of microbial adaptation, functional stability, and metabolite production. I study how microbes can be directed to enhance the synthesis of beneficial compounds without genetic modification. My work uses integrated transcriptomic and methylomic approaches to link regulatory changes with functional outputs.
I also examine how dietary polyphenols and other bioactive compounds reshape the microbial methylome and transcriptome. This research supports the development of improved fermentation processes and targeted probiotic function.
