NJIT Professor's COVID-19 Research Is Personal and Prolific, with 3 Books Out, 2 to Come
As a researcher, NJIT Adjunct Professor Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain is fascinated by COVID-19, having just co-edited three books on the virus and its implications, with two more on the way, distinguishing himself globally as a prolific researcher on the topic. But his interest isn’t just professional.
You see, Hussain is also COVID survivor who was hospitalized and connected to a ventilator for 25 days. At one point, his blood oxygen level was 54% (normal is 95-100%). He also lost track of time: when a nurse asked him the date, he was off by a month.
So, Hussain knows first-hand the severity of the coronavirus, and that fuels his drive to research how it impacts the environment, economy and social fabric of life itself. It also helps that he has a Ph.D. in environmental management and directs NJIT’s labs for chemistry and environmental science. That said, his work extends beyond his core expertise into technology, economics, ethics, the law and sociology – which propels him as well.
“The idea behind it is to help the community,” said Hussain, who teaches in the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science at NJIT’s College of Science and Liberal Arts. “I feel it’s my responsibility to give information to the world. That way you understand the problem. And then the solution will be on the way.”
Hussain’s initial COVID books were published within three months of each other during the last third of 2021. Each was an international endeavor, as Hussain worked with researchers in India and Brazil. Here’s a closer look at each:
— “Detection and Analysis of SARS Coronavirus” focuses on efforts to develop a contactless coronavirus detector through biosensor technology. The other editor is Sudheesh Shukla, an assistant professor at Shobhit University in Meerut, India.
— “COVID-19 in the Environment” examines the environmental impact of the virus – from the (mostly plastic) waste it generates to the disinfectants used to kill it. It emerged from an April 2020 paper that has since been cited more than 600 times. The other editors are Deepak Rawtani, an associate dean and associate professor at National Forensic Sciences University in Gujarat, India and Natasha Khatri, senior scientific officer and laborator head at Gujarat Environment Management Institute in Gujarat.
— “Living with COVID-19” explores safety risk assessment around the virus, its impact on the economy and its ramifications in the law, ethics and society. The other editor is Gustavo Marques da Costa, a professor who has taught at Universidade Feevale in Novo Hamburgo, Brazil.
Hussain’s next two books – due in the spring and summer – will build on his initial research, further exploring the virus’ environmental impact and challenges in the development of biosensors to detect it. Indeed, changes in the virus and how it’s managed mean that the job of a COVID researcher is never really finished. And now that Hussain has recovered from his infection – which he owes to the support and prayers of his family, colleagues and friends – he’s simply grateful to be back at work.
