Dr Vanu Gulati

Senior Lecturer , Biomedical Sciences and Medicine (Joint Medical Program of UNE with University of Newcastle) - School of Science and Technology

Vanu Gulati

Phone: +61 +61 2 6773 5246

Email: vgulati@une.edu.au

Building: W034 McClymont Building, Rm 343

Biography

Dr Gulati is an academic in Biomedical Sciences and has been working in tertiary education in Australia since 2008. Dr Gulati has extensive teaching experience in multiple disciplines due to her multi-disciplinary qualification and experience and therefore, has been teaching in Biomedical Science, Nursing, Joint Medical Program (JMP) that runs in collaboration with University of Newcastle, Nutrition and Naturopathy. Dr Gulati worked as a senior lecturer in Nutritional Medicine and as a specialist for Nutritional Biochemistry and Nutritional Physiology Research at Endeavour College of Natural Health.  

Dr Gulati completed her PhD in Life Sciences from Swinburne University of Technology in 2013 and investigated Aboriginal Australian plants for the management of type 2 diabetes. Dr. Gulati was the first one to explore these native Australian plants for the metabolic disorders.
Dr Gulati worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Swinburne University of Technology in Microbiology and identified specific phenotypic biomarkers in persistent strains of Listeria monocytogenes 
isolated from the food-manufacturing environment. Dr Gulati had a research career interruption from 2015 to 2023 due to her personal circumstances.

Dr Gulati possesses extensive research experience in complementary therapies with focus on investigating the role of plant extracts in management of diabetes and obesity. She gained an experience in the fields of herbal medicines, pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, in vitro pharmacology, cell biology, biochemistry, microbiology and evidence-based medicine. Before moving to Australia, she worked in Pharmaceutical Research in India for four years in phyto-pharmacology and phyto-chemistry of traditional plants of India. Dr. Gulati received an appreciation award from Government of India for conducting the standardization of herbs for Indian Pharmacopoeia. She has an interest in nutrition, complementary and integrative therapies. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international and national conferences. She is a reviewer of many reputed journals and books in the field of nutrition, complementary therapies, food technology, pharmacology and phytochemistry.

Dr. Gulati conducts workshops and delivers public lectures on nutrition, foods, spices and native plants/foods for their role in health and society.

Qualifications

B.Pharmacy, M.Pharmacy (By Research and specialization in Ayurveda), PhD

Awards

  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA) - 2024
  • Faculty Citation Award for ‘Excellence in Education’ - 2024
  • Finalist in 'Regional University Network' Award - 2024
  • School Citation Award in ‘Excellence in Emerging Education’ - 2023
  • Appreciation award from Government of India for analytical standardization of herbal drugs for Indian Pharmacopoeia -2007
  • Appreciation award from Promed Research Centre for always showing the positive attitude - 2007
  • Gold medallist – Master in Pharmacy from Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar, Gujarat - 2003

Teaching Areas

Human Physiology, Biochemistry, Human Nutrition and Metabolism, Pathophysiology

Primary Research Area/s

Integrative oncology; Biological activities of Native plants of Australia; Herbal and Nutritional pharmacology; Phytochemistry, pharmacognosy; Ayurvedic Practices

Research Interests

  • Research Grants
  • Biomedical Research grant, UNE- Internal Funding Scheme (IFS-2024) – AUD 10, 000
  • Teaching and Learning Research grant, UNE-Internal Funding Scheme (IFS-2024) – AUD 10, 000
  • ASCILITE Spring into Excellence Research Scholarship (2024) – AUD 2000

Research Supervision Experience

Currently supervising 3 HDR students with successful completion of 2 Honours candidates since 2023.

Publications

  1. Post COVID Future: Living and Managing Life After COVID from Food Security Perspective (2024). Dr Vandana Gulati & Dr Siva Barathi (Sharl) Marimuthu in a book titled: Future Food Landscapes: towards sustainable food systems through innovations, cultural shifts, and transformative law. Chapter 5, 1st edition, Routledge Publishers.

  2. Ueland, M., Bae, H., Udomkijmongkol, A., Kotmool, K.,Gulati, V., & Hussain, T. (2024). Single atom dispersed tungsten disulfide (WS2) based nanosensors for VOCs detection related to decomposed humans in disaster events. FlatChem, 100666.

  3. Swati Haldar, Snehal R Jadhav, Vandana Gulati, David J Beale, Acharya Balkrishna, Anurag Varshney, Enzo A Palombo, Avinash V Karpe, Rohan M Shah, Unravelling the gut-lung axis: insights into microbiome interactions and Traditional Indian Medicine's perspective on optimal health, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Volume 99, Issue 10, October 2023, fiad103, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiad103
  4. Gulati, V., Singh, M., Gulati, P. (2019). Role of mushrooms in gestational diabetes. AIMS Medical Science 6(1), 49-66.
  5. Jadhav, S., Gulati, V., Fox, E., Karpe, A., Beale, D., Sevior, D., Bhave, M. and Palombo, E.A. (2015). Rapid identification and source-racking of Listeria monocytogenesusing MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. International Journal of Food Microbiology 212, 1-9.
  6. Gulati, V., Gulati, P., Harding, I.H. and Palombo, E.A. (2015). Exploring the anti-diabetic Potential of Australian Aboriginal and Indian Ayurvedic plant extracts using cell-based assays. BMC Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15, 8.
  7. Jadhav S, Gulati, V., Bhave, M. and Palombo, E.A. (2014). Prevalence and control of Listeria monocytogenes in food processing environments - book chapter in Listeria monocytogenes: Food sources, Prevalence and management strategies 167-190. Nova Science Publishers, New York.
  8. Gulati, V., Gulati, P. and Palombo, E.A. (2013). Use of antioxidants to control obesity and promote weight loss - book chapter in  Medicinal Plants: Antioxidant properties, traditional uses and conservation strategies 143- 164. Nova Science Publishers, New York.
  9. Gulati, V., Harding, I.H. and Palombo, E.A. (2012). Enzyme inhibitory and antioxidant activities of traditional medicinal plants: potential application in the management of hyperglycemia, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12, 77.
  10. Shah, R., Gulati, V. and Palombo, E.A. (2012). Pharmacological Properties of Guggulsterones, the Major Active Components of Gum Guggul, Phytotherapy Research 1-15.
  11. Gulati, V., Harding, I.H. and Palombo, E.A. (2009). Management of Diabetes with Diet and Plant-Derived Drugs - book chapter in Medicinal Plants: Classification, Biosynthesis and Pharmacology 167 - 187, Nova Science Publishers, New York.
  12. Suthar, A.C., Mulani, R.M. and Gulati, V. (2008). A HPTLC method for estimation of solasodine and diosgenin in Solanum xanthocarpum Schrad. And Wendl., Natural Products: An Indian Journal,4,1.
  13. Aneja, V., Suthar, A.C., Verma, S., Kalkunte, S. (2008). PhytoPharamcology of Hemidesmus indicus– A review, Pharmacognosy Reviews, 2, 3.
  14. Aneja, V. and Chauhan, M.G. (2007). Contribution to the unexplored antidiabetic herb Coldenia procumbens Linn. (Boraginaceae), Planta Indica, 3, 2, 55-59.

Memberships

  • Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA)
  • Professional Member - Australian Society of Microbiology (MASM)
  • Australian Physiological Society (AuPS)
  • Higher Education Research and Development Society for Australasia (HERDSA)
  • Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE)

Consultancy Interests

Dr. Gulati worked as a research consultant for Edanz Innovative Evidence Solutions for two years.

Community and Advocacy Organisation Collaborations

Dr. Gulati contributed to the parliamentary inquiries related to food and nutrition in Australian Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and  Forestry.