Sourav Chowdhury
PI
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, BITS-Pilani Hyderabad Campus, India
Affiliate Faculty, Associate Fellow, Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Program in Therapeutics Sciences (HiTS), Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts USA
Long Term Associate (Research), Shakhnovich Group, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Massachusetts USA
Post Doctoral Fellow, Harvard University (2018-2024)
Ph.D. Biophysics/Biophysical Chemistry, CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (2019)
Sourav worked as a graduate/doctoral student with Krishnananda Chattopadhyay and obtained his Ph.D. in biophysics/biophysical chemistry from CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in 2018/19. He transitioned to Harvard University in July 2018, as a post-doctoral fellow to work with Eugene Shakhnovich at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. From 2021 Sourav is also an Associate at the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology Consortium (LSP) at Harvard Medical School. Sourav is currently as Assistant Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Pilani, Hyderabad Campus. He is also a Long-Term Associate (Research) at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University and an Affiliate Faculty at the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School.
Graduate/Doctoral Students:
A Shivram (Co-Advised by Aneesh Chivukula, BITS-P Hyderabad)
A Shirvam, is currently pursuing PhD at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus, and holds an M.Sc. in Medical Biotechnology. Shivram’s research focuses on predicting protein mutations by analyzing data from known mutations. This work aims to unravel the mechanisms behind antimicrobial resistance and uncover new drug targets to combat it. Outside the lab, Shivram loves to channel his energy into the gym, indulge in thrilling badminton matches, and explore new cultures and landscapes through travel.
Deeptanshu Pandey
Deeptanshu Pandey holds both a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Zoology Honours, with a specialization in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function, from the University of Calcutta. His research interests are centered on integrating ecological models with protein evolvability, evolutionary systems, and biophysics, aiming to bridge these interdisciplinary fields. Beyond academia,as his off time engagement, Deeptanshu is an avid participant in athletic pursuits such as sprinting and cricket, and he also devotes time to writing poetry and a novel enthusiast.
Danny Muzata (Co-Advised by Prajna Upadhyay, BITS-P Hyderabad)
Danny holds a BSc in Biomedical Sciences, MSc in Tropical Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis from the University of Zambia, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Bioinformatics. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Data Science for Global Health at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India, focusing on understanding the evolutionary dynamics of essential folate pathway proteins in Plasmodium falciparum and their implications for antimalarial drug resistance. Danny’s research interests include computational biology, bioinformatics, Data Science for Health, antimicrobial resistance, vector-borne diseases, infectious disease modeling and simulation. In his free time, Danny enjoys playing chess, football, and pool.
Moli Rani
Moli Rani holds an M.Sc. in Biotechnology from South Asian University, New Delhi, India. With research experience in neuroinflammation, particularly the role of Prostaglandin E2 in macrophage COX-2 expression. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, focusing on the evolutionary dynamics of Dihydrofolate Reductase in Toxoplasma gondii. She is deeply interested in infectious disease biology. Outside the lab, she enjoys gardening and reading novels.
Undergraduate Research Students:
Protein-Chaperone Coevolutionary Dynamics
Choudarapu Ridhi (January 2025 and onwards)
Ansheeka Gupta (June 2025 and onwards)
Aarya Chaudhari (June 2025 and onwards)
Pujitha Konjeti (June 2025 and onwards)
Protein Evolution
Lakshmi Sharanya Tammara (June 2025 and onwards)
Nayana Rose VJ (May 2025- July 2025) - Summer Research Intern, IISER Tirupati
Ahana Ray (May 2025 - July 2025) - Summer Research Intern, University of Hyderabad
Metabolomics
Samarth Shreepad Dixit (January 2025 and onwards)
Post Graduate Research Students:
Siddhesh Rupesh Marda (January 2025 and onwards)