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About Me
I am an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oklahoma (OU). I am part of the Lewis Working Group in the Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR). My research focuses on pathogen genome evolution. To understand how different pathogens have evolved over geographic space and time, I use ancient DNA to reconstruct pathogen genomes from archaeological remains, such as bones, teeth, and dental calculus. My current projects include studying the evolution of important human diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy as well as of host-associated microbial ecologies such as the gut and oral microbiomes. |
Research Interests
Pathogen Evolution; Human Microbiome Evolution; Ancient DNA; Bioinformatics; Neglected Tropical Diseases
Pathogen Evolution; Human Microbiome Evolution; Ancient DNA; Bioinformatics; Neglected Tropical Diseases
Background
I was born and brought up in Pune, India. I have a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, with a minor in Industrial Microbiology, from Abasaheb Garware College, India, and a Master's degree in Virology from the National Institute of Virology, India. In 2017, I completed my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Arizona State University (ASU). I was co-advised in my doctoral research by Dr. Anne Stone, Regents' Professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, ASU, and Dr. Michael Rosenberg, Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University (formerly at the School of Life Sciences, ASU).
I was born and brought up in Pune, India. I have a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, with a minor in Industrial Microbiology, from Abasaheb Garware College, India, and a Master's degree in Virology from the National Institute of Virology, India. In 2017, I completed my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Arizona State University (ASU). I was co-advised in my doctoral research by Dr. Anne Stone, Regents' Professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, ASU, and Dr. Michael Rosenberg, Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University (formerly at the School of Life Sciences, ASU).
I love traveling, reading, playing boardgames, and watching sci-fi TV shows.
At the Grand Canyon, 2015.