CV
Experience
2017 - Present
Postdoctoral Researcher
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
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
Bristol-Myers Squibb fellowship, Aug 2014- July 2015
DR. A. S. Perumal Award, Dept. of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science for excellent performance in PhD training and comprehensive examination. Mar 2012
Junior and Senior Research fellowships, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Aug 2011- July 2016
J Ganguly Memorial Award, Indian Institute of Science for excellent academic performance during M.S. course work. Aug 2010- July 2011
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)
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
Summer internship project: Understanding molecular biology techniques. Advisor: Prof. Sandhya S Vishveshwariah, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Jun 2007
Teaching and mentoring
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Poster session judge for graduate and undergraduate poster session 23rd International C. elegans Conference (virtual) organized by GSA ( June 2021)
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Community Manager Epigenetic MOOC (April- June 2021) - 3200 course participants
Mentees
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July – Aug 2019: Simone Proccacia, undergraduate Amgen scholar
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July – Aug 2017: Zoe Lee-Chiong, undergraduate summer intern from Stanford University
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January- July 2016: Nitya Sarjapuram, Masters thesis intern, co-author on a manuscript.
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Aug 2015- July 2016: Niharika Mekala , undergraduate student at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, co-author on a manuscript.
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Jan- Jul 2013: Vaishali Singhal, Masters intern
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June- July 2012: Sharanya Jayaraman , Masters summer intern from Sastra college and university
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June – July 2011: Parna Saha, Masters summer intern from University of Calcutta
Meeting abstracts and invited talks
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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.
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2021, Poster, 23rd International C. elegans Conference (virtual). Translation and codon usage regulate Argonaute slicer activity to trigger small RNA biogenesis.
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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.
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2021, Selected oral presentation, 15th Microsymposium on small RNA, Vienna (virtual). Translation and codon usage regulate Argonaute slicer activity to trigger small RNA biogenesis.
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2021, Poster, Pasteur-Curie joint poster event (virtual). Translation and codon usage regulate Argonaute slicer activity to trigger small RNA biogenesis. Best Poster Award.
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2020, Invited webinar, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Science, University of Delhi. Mechanism of Epigenetic regulation and inheritance.
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2020, Poster, The Complex Life of RNA EMBO Meeting, Heidelberg, virtual. Translation and codon usage regulate Argonaute slicer activity to trigger small RNA biogenesis.
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2019, Poster, 22nd International C. elegans Conference, UCLA, Los Angeles. CSR-1 catalytic-dependent and -independent activity on germline transcriptome.
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2019, Poster, RNA in epigenetic and chromatin regulation conference, Paris. Regulation of germline transcripts by small RNAs in C. elegans. 2019.
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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.
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2013, 5th Annual meeting of Proteomics Society of India, Bangalore. Functional characterization of Plasmodium falciparum Hsp90 complemented yeast.
Peer Review
Reviewer for Genes and Nature Communications