Ashok Kumar is a professor of bioengineering and holds the Lalit Mohan Kapoor endowed chair professorship in the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He earned his PhD in biotechnology from IIT Roorkee. He has carried out profound research on synthesis, properties, and disparate applications of cryogels and smart polymers. His research interests are in biomaterials, tissue engineering, stem cell technology, regenerative medicine, bioprocess engineering, bioseparations, and environmental biotechnology. He has published more than 125 peer-reviewed research articles, holds several patents, and has edited five books. He is an executive board member of the Asian Federation of Biotechnology and serves on the editorial board and expert committee of many reputable journals and scientific organizations. He has received several awards for his research contributions.