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About Me
I am a geneticist who studies the evolution of the human microbiome and pathogens. Research Interests
Microbial Genomics; Pathogen Evolution: Human Microbiome; Degraded DNA; One Health; Bioinformatics |
Background
I was born and brought up in Pune, India. I have a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, with a minor in Industrial Microbiology, and a Master's degree in Virology from the University of Pune, India.
My research career began in 2011 with my Masters' research project, where I conducted a case-control association study between genetic polymorphisms in human immune response genes and the outcome of Dengue virus infection in Indian populations. I was supervised in this research by Dr. K. Alagarasu at the National Institute of Virology, India.
From 2012 to 2017, I worked on my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology at Arizona State University, Tempe, USA. under the supervision of Dr. Anne Stone and Dr. Michael Rosenberg. My dissertation research involved using cutting-edge degraded DNA and next-generation sequencing methods to elucidate the evolutionary histories of two major human diseases - leprosy and tuberculosis.
From 2017 to July 2024, I was a Research Assistant Professor in the Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR) at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA. Under the supervision of Dr. Cecil M. Lewis Jr., I studied the evolution of the human microbiome, including co-leading a National Science Foundation-funded project on the oral microbiome.
I was born and brought up in Pune, India. I have a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, with a minor in Industrial Microbiology, and a Master's degree in Virology from the University of Pune, India.
My research career began in 2011 with my Masters' research project, where I conducted a case-control association study between genetic polymorphisms in human immune response genes and the outcome of Dengue virus infection in Indian populations. I was supervised in this research by Dr. K. Alagarasu at the National Institute of Virology, India.
From 2012 to 2017, I worked on my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology at Arizona State University, Tempe, USA. under the supervision of Dr. Anne Stone and Dr. Michael Rosenberg. My dissertation research involved using cutting-edge degraded DNA and next-generation sequencing methods to elucidate the evolutionary histories of two major human diseases - leprosy and tuberculosis.
From 2017 to July 2024, I was a Research Assistant Professor in the Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR) at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA. Under the supervision of Dr. Cecil M. Lewis Jr., I studied the evolution of the human microbiome, including co-leading a National Science Foundation-funded project on the oral microbiome.