CV

Experience

2017 - Present

Postdoctoral Researcher

Institut Pastuer, Paris, France

Project: small RNAs- function, biogenesis, and soma-to-germline transfer to mediate epigenetic inheritance

Supervisor: Dr. Germano Cecere

Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology,

Education

Aug 2011 - Jan 2017

Ph.D.  Biochemistry

(Integrated PhD)

Indian Institute of Science

Bangalore, India

Thesis: Novel facets of Heat Shock Protein 90 in neglected protozoan parasites.

Supervisor: Prof. Utpal Tatu

Department of Biochemistry

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Aug 2009 - July 2011

MS, Biological Sciences

(Integrated PhD)

Project: Biochemical characterization of the components of heat shock response machinery in Plasmodium falciparum.

Supervisor: Prof. Utpal Tatu

Indian Institute of Science

Bangalore, India

Division of Biological Science

Aug 2006 - May 2009

B.Sc. (H) Biomedical Sciences

Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences

Project: Characterization of ABC transporter (rv1747) protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (at Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, May- July 2008).

Supervisor: Prof. Yogendra Singh

University of Delhi, New Delhi, India

Independent Funding

Pasteur-Roux-Cantarini Postdoctoral fellowship   July 2020- June 2022

Awards & Fellowships

Travel Award: Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt. of India for 7th International conference on the Hsp90 chaperone machine meeting in Seeon, Germany. Oct 2015

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Bristol-Myers Squibb fellowship, Aug 2014- July 2015

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DR. A. S. Perumal Award, Dept. of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science for excellent performance in PhD training and comprehensive examination. Mar 2012

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Junior and Senior Research fellowships, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Aug 2011- July 2016

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J Ganguly Memorial Award, Indian Institute of Science for excellent academic performance during M.S. course work. Aug 2010- July 2011

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Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) Scholarship, Department of Science and Technology, India.  Apr 2006- July 2010

Other projects

Development of ELISA based diagnostic method for sero-surveillance of Trypanosoma evansi infection in horse in India. (As an additional project during PhD tenure in Prof. Utpal Tatu’s lab) 2013-2014. (Test already in use for clinical samples) 

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Summer internship project: Cloning, purification and bioinformatics analysis of novel GTP binding protein Era of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Advisor: Prof Yogendra Singh, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, May- July 2009 

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Summer internship project: Understanding molecular biology techniques. Advisor: Prof. Sandhya S Vishveshwariah, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Jun 2007  

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Teaching and mentoring

1. Poster session judge for graduate and undergraduate poster session 23rd International C. elegans Conference (virtual) organized by GSA ( June 2021)

2. Community Manager Epigenetic MOOC (April- June 2021) - 3200 course participants

Mentees

1. July – Aug 2019: Simone Proccacia, undergraduate Amgen scholar

2. July – Aug 2017: Zoe Lee-Chiong, undergraduate summer intern from Stanford University

3. January- July 2016: Nitya Sarjapuram, Masters thesis intern, co-author on a manuscript.

4. Aug 2015- July 2016: Niharika Mekala , undergraduate student at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, co-author on a manuscript.

5. Jan- Jul 2013: Vaishali Singhal, Masters intern

6. June- July 2012: Sharanya Jayaraman , Masters summer intern from Sastra college and university

7. June – July 2011: Parna Saha, Masters summer intern from University of Calcutta

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Meeting abstracts and invited talks

1. 2021, Invited talk, BC Centenary: A Celebration of Excellence in Research and Teaching (international meeting), Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (virtual). Argonaute navigating the balance between protein translation and small RNA synthesis.

2. 2021, Poster, 23rd International C. elegans Conference (virtual). Translation and codon usage regulate Argonaute slicer activity to trigger small RNA biogenesis.

3. 2021, Selected oral presentation, 26th Annual Meeting of the RNA Society (virtual). Translation and codon usage regulate Argonaute slicer activity to trigger small RNA biogenesis.

4. 2021, Selected oral presentation, 15th Microsymposium on small RNA, Vienna (virtual). Translation and codon usage regulate Argonaute slicer activity to trigger small RNA biogenesis.

5. 2021, Poster, Pasteur-Curie joint poster event (virtual). Translation and codon usage regulate Argonaute slicer activity to trigger small RNA biogenesis. Best Poster Award.

6. 2020, Invited webinar, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Science, University of Delhi.  Mechanism of Epigenetic regulation and inheritance.

7. 2020, Poster, The Complex Life of RNA EMBO Meeting, Heidelberg, virtual. Translation and codon usage regulate Argonaute slicer activity to trigger small RNA biogenesis.

8. 2019, Poster, 22nd  International C. elegans Conference, UCLA, Los Angeles. CSR-1 catalytic-dependent and -independent activity on germline transcriptome.

9. 2019, Poster, RNA in epigenetic and chromatin regulation conference, Paris. Regulation of germline transcripts by small RNAs in C. elegans. 2019.

10. 2014, 7th International conference on the Hsp90 chaperone machine, Seeon, Germany. Identification of a novel Heat Shock Protein 90 co-chaperone, EhAha1c, from Entamoeba histolytica.

11. 2013, 5th Annual meeting of Proteomics Society of India, Bangalore. Functional characterization of Plasmodium falciparum Hsp90 complemented yeast.

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Peer Review

Reviewer for Genes and Nature Communications