About Me
I am a Research Assistant 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. I study the evolutionary histories of important human diseases, such as tuberculosis and leprosy. I also study human gut and oral microbiome evolution, with a particular focus on oral disease. To understand how different pathogens have evolved over geographic time and space, I use ancient DNA to reconstruct pathogen genomes from archaeological remains including bones, teeth, and dental calculus.

​Research Interests
Pathogen Evolution; Human Microbiome Evolution; Ancient DNA; ​Bioinformatics; Neglected Tropical Diseases

Background
I was born and brought up in Pune, India. I completed my high school education (grades 1-10) from Abhinava Vidyalaya English Medium School and grades 11-12 from Fergusson College. 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 June 2017, I completed my Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Arizona State University (ASU). I was co-advised 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 travelling, reading, playing boardgames, and watching sci-fi TV shows.