Dr. Vijayalakshmi Kovuru
Assistant Professor, Division of Food Processing Technology
Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Education:
Ph.D. Food Sciences and Nutrition (Sri Padmavathi Mahila University); M.Sc. Dietetics and Food Service Management; M.Sc. Home Science; B.Ed. Biological Sciences; B.Sc. Home Science
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Dr. Vijayalakshmi Kovuru is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Food Processing Technology at Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences with over 17 years of experience in teaching, clinical nutrition, research, and community-based nutritional interventions. She holds a Ph.D. in Food Sciences and Nutrition from Sri Padmavathi Mahila University, along with M.Sc. degrees in Dietetics and Food Service Management and Home Science, a B.Ed. in Biological Sciences, and a B.Sc. in Home Science. Her professional experience includes academic, clinical, and research positions in universities, hospitals, and Krishi Vigyan Kendra before joining Karunya in 2021.
Her areas of specialization include renal nutrition, food processing, and dietetics, with expertise in curriculum development, project guidance, interdisciplinary collaboration, and student mentoring. She actively supervises postgraduate and doctoral research, guides projects on functional foods, millet-based products, dairy products, beverages, probiotics, edible packaging, and value-added food products, and contributes to academic administration as M.Sc. Course Coordinator, Admission Coordinator, Food Analysis Laboratory In-charge, Mentor, and Board of Studies member.
Dr. Vijayalakshmi has actively participated in national and international conferences, workshops, faculty development programmes, and NPTEL courses related to clinical nutrition, food science, food composition, AI in research, sports nutrition, and food oils and fats. She has also organized training programmes and awareness initiatives on nutrition, millet value addition, nutri-gardens, women’s health, child nutrition, and food fortification. She is a Life Member of the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA-AP Chapter) and the Nutrition Society of India.
Her research contributions include publications in peer-reviewed journals covering renal nutrition, hemodialysis patient nutrition, nutritional security, women’s empowerment, food storage, and community nutrition. She has also presented numerous research papers at national and international conferences, reflecting her continued contributions to clinical nutrition, food science, community health, and food processing research.