Education

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA.

PhD

Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology (EEOB)

I'm getting my PhD in Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology (EEOB) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Biology Department. I've been instrumental in my lab's transition to UNC and learnt a lot about lab set-up and logistics. I originally joined the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in January of 2021, after deferring my fall 2020 admission due to pandemic restrictions and being an international student. I was admitted in the Genome Science and Technology program hosted jointly with the Oakridge National Laboratory, where I rotated in labs interested in host-microbe interactions in insects and plants and, culturing microbes from polluted soils. I then joined the Parker lab to study insect-microbe interactions and worked in the Microbiology Department before moving to Chapel Hill with my lab. I plan to graduate in 2026.

University of Hyderabad, India.

MSc

Molecular Microbiology

I got my masters degree from the University of Hyderabad, School of Life Sciences, in India. My thesis focused on yeast diversity in lichens collected from pristine forests in India's Western Ghats. Later in a collaboration with another grad student, I also studied whether these yeast species interacted with bacteria. I graduated in 2018 with top honors.

Osmania University, Hyderabad, India

BSc

Biological Sciences

I got my bachelor's degree from St. Ann's College for Women, affiliated to Osmania University in India, where I majored in microbiology, genetics and chemistry. I was a summer intern at the Veterinary College in Hyderabad. I designed a short project to detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the mobile phones of veterinary doctors who had routinely worked with cattle or cattle samples (conducting my first ever PCR was exhilarating!). I graduated in 2016 with top honors.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse