Headline

Plant Biologist | Plant-microbe interactions | ASPB Plantae Editor

About

I’m a plant biologist specializing in the intricate relationships between plants and their microbial partners - from the molecular signals that shape root microbiomes to the cellular mechanisms driving plant immunity and development. With 10+ years of research experience, I integrate molecular genetics, advanced imaging, and microbial ecology to answer fundamental questions about how plants interact with beneficial and pathogenic microbes. My work spans high-resolution, high-throughput imaging of root systems, genetic engineering of non-model organisms, and the design of experiments that connect data-driven discovery with mechanistic understanding.

Location

Pittsburgh

Work experience

Postdoctoral Scientist at University of Pittsburgh, Aug 2024 - Present · 1 yr 10 mos, Pittsburgh, PA, Postdoctoral Researcher in Cara Haney lab identifying the role of RLKs in plant autoimmune responses.

Senior Scientist at Quorum Bio, Sep 2023 - Mar 2024 · 7 mos, New York City Metropolitan Area

Postdoctoral Research Associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory, May 2021 - Sep 2023 · 2 yrs 5 mos, Brookhaven, New York, United States, • As a part of Quantitative Plant Science Initiative (QPSI), orchestrated the efforts of identification and functional validation of candidate genes obtained from Poplar and Sorghum RNASeq dataset in Arabidopsis. • Conducted large-scale experiments for Poplar, Sorghum, Medicago and Arabidopsis under hydroponics and greenhouse settings to study the growth of bioenergy crops under heavy metal stresses/nutrient limiting conditions. • Developed and optimized a protocol for successful transformation of a non-model organism (Sinorhizobium meliloti) and introduced mer operon (which confers tolerance to mercury) into a non-tolerant rhizobia strain as a proof of concept.

PhD student at Penn State University, Aug 2014 - Feb 2021 · 6 yrs 7 mos, State College, Pennsylvania Area, • Identified 3 CNGCs as the Ca2+-permeable channels required for FERONIA-dependent mechanical signaling (but not FERONIA-dependent RALF1 signaling) out of a family of 20 CNGCs and several other calcium channel families in Arabidopsis. • Investigated the changes in vacuolar morphology and turgor in response to RALF1, and its correlation with rapid growth inhibition in Arabidopsis thaliana roots. • Investigated the role of rapid osmoregulation in RALF1-induced rapid growth inhibition in Arabidopsis thaliana roots by analyzing the metabolite and ion profile of Arabidopsis root exudates upon treatment with RALF1 and fungal RALFs

Project Trainee at European Bioinformatics Institute | EMBL-EBI, Jan 2014 - May 2014 · 5 mos, Cambridge, United Kingdom, SurvCurv is a database developed by Prof. Janet Thornton's lab at the EBI. Currently it contains survival data of various model organisms like Drosophila melanogaster and C. elegans. The first part of my project was to curate the database and insert survival data of Mus musculus, which was acquired from the experiments conducted by the National Institute on Ageing in the Interventions Testing Program (ITP). In addition, I did meta-analysis on the data inserted to analyze the effect of various drugs on murine lifespan.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Plant Biology, Penn State University

Bachelor's Degree, Industrial Biotechnology, Anna University Chennai