What is your position at your institution and where are you from?
I’m a Research Assistant at the Rockefeller University and currently work on a joint project between the labs of Prof. Michael Rout and Prof. Frederick Cross. I was born in the U.S but spent most of my childhood in India, which is also where I attended university. I obtained BS and MS degrees in Biology from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune. My Master’s thesis was on the Characterization of Methylation-dependent Restriction Enzymes.
What are your research interests?
My primary interest lies in the fields of Microbiology and Molecular Biology. I love the idea of working on projects that have downstream applications in clinical research or therapeutics. I’m currently working on a project that aims to search for single-chain antibodies that show broad cross-reactivity against viruses in the Cornovirus family. Using yeast as our system, we are attempting to generate libraries of yeast that display these single-chain antibodies on their surface. Such libraries can then be used to test the specifity of binding of the antibodies to various viral antigens.
What motivated you to work with us? What do you hope to gain from your experience at NCDIR?
Post obtaining my MS, I decided to look for positions where I could develop my skills as a researcher before moving on to do a PhD. My time with the Rout lab so far has been amazing, and I’ve learned a lot within a short period. Working directly on the bench with Dr. Rout, who has decades of experience, has been a highlight of my time here.