PI
Sudipta is a Faculty Fellow and DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Early Career Fellow at the Department of Biology, Ashoka University, India. Prior to Ashoka, he had completed doctoral studies at Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER)-Pune followed by a brief stint of postdoc at the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University as a B4 postdoctoral fellow.
PhD Students
Chandrakanth completed MSc in Biotechnology from BHU (2019-2021). His primary research interest lies in understanding species adaptation under different environmental conditions. Currently, he is exploring the effects of different nutrition on life-history, behaviour and stress related aspects in Drosophila. In free time, he likes to play volleyball, travel, and cook.
Devashish did his MSc in Life Sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. His research interest lies in understanding how various environmental factors notably diet affect the aging in eukaryotic organisms. For his Ph.D. work, he is looking into both the single-generation and long-term evolutionary implications of diet on aging using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. When not on the bench he likes to play Cricket, read non-fiction novels, and cook.
Chetan secured a Master's degree in Marine Biology from Pondicherry University, Port Blair in 2020. His thoughts include understanding the natural environment and its systems. In Ashoka, he has started his journey to understand how an organism's systemic circulation and circulatory components are being affected by nutrition with Drosophila as a model. While not in lab, he likes to watch anime or explore new places and cuisines.
Lab Assistants
Nishant has completed B. Com from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
Chand has completed BA from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
Ashoka Scholars Programme (ASP) Students
Tanisha is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Ashoka University, pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in Mathematics. Her current research interest lies in examining how larval nutrition influences adult resource allocation in Drosophila melanogaster, with a particular focus on the physiological mechanisms that link developmental environments to adult fitness outcomes. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, catching up on current affairs, and unwinding with movies.
Project Interns
Siddhant is a second-year undergraduate at Ashoka University, majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science. At IGEL, he is exploring transcriptomics and experimenting with how machine learning can be applied within the lab. He is curious about how computational approaches can bring new perspectives to biology and enjoys working at the intersection of the two fields. Outside the lab, he enjoys reading surrealist literature that blurs reality and imagination. He is intrigued by game theory and spends time working through logic puzzles. Philosophy often draws him into reflection, while long, wandering walks remain his favourite way to think through questions that resist easy answers.
Sarthak is a third-year undergraduate student at Ashoka University, pursuing a B.Sc. in Biology with a minor in Computer Science. He is particularly interested in exploring the behavioural aspects of the larval stage in Drosophila. In his free time, he can usually be found on the badminton court or at the pool table.
Ushmil is a second-year undergraduate student at Ashoka University, pursuing a major in Biology with minors in Psychology and Computer Science. She is currently exploring courtship and mating (reproductive & aggressive) behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster. Outside the lab, she can often be found blasting Arctic Monkeys, reading, or debating just about anything.