Scientist ICAR-CIPHET India
Shaghaf Kaukab is a dedicated scientist specializing in Agricultural Structures and Process Engineering at ICAR-CIPHET, Ludhiana. With over 4 years of scientific research experience and 7.5 years of academic research, she excels in food engineering and technology. Her expertise spans extrusion processing, drying technology, hermetic packaging, functional food product development, and the application of AI, machine learning, and deep learning in agriculture. Shaghaf has significantly contributed to storage and quality management of agricultural commodities, developing innovative solutions for pest control and storage losses.
Profile
Scopus
Education 🎓
Shaghaf Kaukab’s educational background is rooted in post-harvest technology. She earned her Ph.D. in Post Harvest Technology from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, with an excellent grade (CGPA: 9.1/10.00) in 2019. Prior to that, she completed her M.Tech. in Post Harvest Engineering & Technology from the same institute, achieving a CGPA of 8.97/10.00 in 2016. Her rigorous academic training has equipped her with extensive knowledge and practical skills in her field.
Experience 💼
Shaghaf currently serves as a Scientist at ICAR-CIPHET, Ludhiana, focusing on Agricultural Structures & Process Engineering. Since January 2020, she has led projects on cold storage monitoring systems, maize cob drying systems, and AI-enabled robotic apple harvesters, among others. She collaborates with academic partners and mentors students, providing training and skill development for farmers and entrepreneurs. Her previous role at ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management in Hyderabad involved developing agricultural development plans and modern information management techniques.
Research Interests 🔬
Shaghaf’s research interests lie in the application of new-age technologies like AI, ML, and DL in post-harvest agriculture. She focuses on mathematical modeling, image processing techniques (biospeckle, RGB, X-ray, hyperspectral imaging), and analysis of food properties including physical, thermal, mechanical, and micro-structural aspects. Her work aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of food process engineering through innovative technological solutions.
Honors and Awards 🏆
Shaghaf’s contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards. She received the Best Presentation Award for her work on enhancing apple quality control using deep learning techniques at the 57th ISAE Annual Convention in 2023. She was also awarded the Bihar Gaurav Award by the State Government of Bihar in 2009, and the IARI Merit Medal for outstanding academic performance during 2014-2016. Her academic excellence is further highlighted by her top rankings in GATE, ICAR-JRF, and ICAR-SRF examinations.
Publications 📚
Shaghaf has authored numerous publications in reputed journals, contributing significantly to her field. Her notable works include:
- Improving Real-time Apple Fruit Detection: Depth and Multi-modal Information Fusions with Non-targeted Background Removal (2023) – Ecological Informatics
- Chickpea Temperature Profile Development and its Implication under Microwave Treatment (2023) – Biological Forum – An International Journal
- Osmotic Dehydration of Aloe-vera Gel Discs (2023) – Journal of AgriSearch
- Engineering Properties, Processing and Value Addition of Tamarind: A Review (2023) – IJBSM
- Study of engineering properties of selected vegetable seeds (2019) – Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences
- Technological Interventions for Convenient Rice Preparation (2017) – Agricultural Engineering Today
- Rice Quality Evaluation Techniques (2017) – Trends in Biosciences
- Evaluation of Shelf Stability of Reconstituted (Extruded) Rice Under Ambient Storage Condition (2017) – Trends in Biosciences