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About Me
I am an evolutionary biologist who studies how pathogens and microbial communities evolve in response to human ecological, environmental, and cultural changes. Employing a One Health framework, my work integrates genomic/metagenomic datasets derived from animals, contemporary human populations living diverse lifestyles, and ancient individuals recovered using innovative paleogenomics techniques. Research Interests
Microbial Genomics; Pathogen Evolution: Human Microbiome; Ancient 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 of genetic polymorphisms in human immune response genes and the outcomes 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 under the supervision of Dr. Anne Stone and Dr. Michael Rosenberg at Arizona State University, Tempe, U.S. My dissertation research involved using cutting-edge degraded DNA and next-generation sequencing methods to elucidate the evolutionary histories of the pathogens causing two major human diseases - leprosy and tuberculosis.
From 2017 to 2024, I worked as a Research Assistant Professor with Dr. Cecil M. Lewis Jr., in the Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR) at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, U.S. In this role, I co-led numerous projects investigating the evolution of the human microbiome in response to migration, lifeways, and behavior, which included a National Science Foundation-funded project on the oral microbiome.
In 2025, I started a new position as a Bioinformatics Scientist working with Dr. Charlotte Avanzi at Colorado State University, where I am studying the transmission dynamics of leprosy in human and animal hosts.
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 of genetic polymorphisms in human immune response genes and the outcomes 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 under the supervision of Dr. Anne Stone and Dr. Michael Rosenberg at Arizona State University, Tempe, U.S. My dissertation research involved using cutting-edge degraded DNA and next-generation sequencing methods to elucidate the evolutionary histories of the pathogens causing two major human diseases - leprosy and tuberculosis.
From 2017 to 2024, I worked as a Research Assistant Professor with Dr. Cecil M. Lewis Jr., in the Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR) at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, U.S. In this role, I co-led numerous projects investigating the evolution of the human microbiome in response to migration, lifeways, and behavior, which included a National Science Foundation-funded project on the oral microbiome.
In 2025, I started a new position as a Bioinformatics Scientist working with Dr. Charlotte Avanzi at Colorado State University, where I am studying the transmission dynamics of leprosy in human and animal hosts.