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About Me
I am an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oklahoma (OU) and a faculty member of the Lewis Working Group in the Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR). My research focuses on studying how disease-causing pathogens evolve over geographic space and time. Much of my work uses ancient DNA and next-generation sequencing technologies to reconstruct pathogen genomes from archaeological remains, such as bones, teeth, dental calculus, and paleofeces. |
Research Interests
Pathogen Evolution; Human Microbiome; Ancient DNA; Neglected Tropical Diseases; Zoonoses; Bioinformatics
Pathogen Evolution; Human Microbiome; Ancient DNA; Neglected Tropical Diseases; Zoonoses; 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 Savitribai Phule Pune University, India. I was supervised in my Master's research by Dr. K. Alagarasu, Scientist D, National Institute of Virology, India.
In 2017, I completed my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, USA. 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.
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 Savitribai Phule Pune University, India. I was supervised in my Master's research by Dr. K. Alagarasu, Scientist D, National Institute of Virology, India.
In 2017, I completed my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, USA. 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.
RECENT NEWS
April 2021 - Dr. Cecil Lewis and I were awarded a National Science Foundation grant (NSF BCS-2045308) for our project titled "CHOMPER: Calculus and Hominid Oral Metagenomes for Pathogen Evolution". Read more here.