Dr Gunjan Goel is an associate professor at the Department of Microbiology, Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh, India. He completed his PhD in microbiology at the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India, and did postdoctoral research at the University of Hohenheim, Germany and the University of Ghent, Belgium. He has been working in the area of microbial communities and their assessment and has published more than 70 research papers in journals of international repute. He has been the principal investigator for national and international research projects funded by government agencies. His current research focuses on deciphering the role of different factors affecting gut microbial ecology, bio-accessibility, and bioavailability of food ingredients for in vitro simulated gut-model systems, and the assessment of probiotics using in vitro and in vivo models. He is a life member of the Association of Microbiologists of India and the Probiotic Association of India and he is on the editorial board of Frontiers in Microbiology