Keertana Tallapragada

I am a PhD candidate in the Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology (EEOB) program in the Biology Department, at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. I'm broadly interested in the origin and evolution of life, and I focus on host-microbe interactions and co-evolution. I'm currently studying symbioses among pea aphids and their microbial partners in the Parker Lab, investigating how host genetic variation impacts beneficial outcomes. 

I trained as a microbiologist but during my PhD, I grew to admire aphids (and other insects), strengthening my interests in host-microbe symbioses. I consider myself model system-agnostic and get excited about big picture questions. I'm always keen to learn new techniques to unravel questions I'm not yet thinking about. 

I'm interested to pursue curiosity-driven academic research, with an ambition to run my own independent group. I'm actively looking for post-doctoral positions, starting in Summer/Fall 2026.