THE JOURNEY TO BEING A MICROBIOLOGIST AND A BIOENGINEER

I will be joining as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Rachit Agarwal's laboratory in the Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE) at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, India. My research interest lies in developing nanovaccines and nanodelivery platforms to treat infectious diseases. I am currently working on the development of ultra-long acting injectable nanocrystals for the treatment of tuberculosis. My long-term goal is to develop nanovaccines against various infectious diseases.

Me being playful in the picturesque beaches of Seychelles.

Biology was my favorite subject in school and was determined to pursue a career in this field. I graduated in Microbiology from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, India, with a co-major in Biochemistry. When I had joined the course, it was completely new to me. However, I instantly fell in love with it and was very fascinated to know more about the microbial world. I further went on to pursue post-graduation in Microbiology from St. Xavier’s College.

I took a break to prepare for NET and GATE entrance examinations and qualified both of them. I got into Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) for a Ph.D. in the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, under the supervision of Dr. Prakriti Tayalia. Moving out of my comfort zone, I joined the Cell and Tissue Engineering lab where my Ph.D. thesis was focused on Skin Tissue Engineering. I feel proud to have gained knowledge in different disciplines and wish to work in a direction that will allow me to combine and utilize the knowledge from both Microbiology and Bioengineering. Hence, I decided to work on nanovaccines for my Postdoctoral research.

WHAT DO I DO BESIDES BEING A SCIENTIST?

Traveling










Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Bangkok, Thailand
La Digue Island, Seychelles
Goa, India
New York City, USA
Sundarban, West Bengal, India
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

I absolutely love traveling. It gives me immense joy, lovely memories and valuable experience. It exposes one to the new culture of the locals - their food habits, how they live, traditions and festivals, their daily lives etc. Of course, I also love to get clicked in pictureseque places 😁.

I have traveled to several places in India and been to six countries so far and hope to keep traveling more. I utilized some of the long weekends to visit places in and around Mumbai.

After submiting my Ph.D. thesis, I took a month long trip to Seychelles (long-awaited, well-deserved and much-needed!).

Painting











Sunset painting on the hardbound back of an old table calendar
Warli painting on an invitation card
Silhoutte painting on a cake carboard
Madhubani sun painting on a cake cardboard
Mandala art on old nail polish remover and paint bottles
Mandala art on the hardbound back of an old table calendar
Poster color painting
My hostel room decor during Ph.D.
Shell painting
Rangoli made by me and mom for Diwali

I like painting and craft. I believe in "Best out of waste" and so I try to decorate or convert waste stuff into artsy stuff. Here is a curated list of some of my creations. I also have a knack for home decor (inherited from my talented, artistic mommy) and follow the artsy community on instagram for ideas and pure visual treat. It is a stress-buster for me!

Cooking















Baingan (Brinjal) masala
Lemon Basil Herb Basa grill
Chicken stew
Chole puri
Kalakand (dessert)
Niramishi jhol (Bengali style vegetable curry)
Palak paneer
Steamed paneer in mustard paste (Bengali cuisine)
Veg pasta
Pav bhaji
Pomfret shorshe(Pomfret in mustard curry)
Sambar
Shorshe egg (Egg in mustard curry)
South Indian style egg curry

Home-cooked food, as we all know, is best for a healthy body and mind. I try to cook simple stuff which would not consume a lot of my time. It also gives me a mental break from the hectic schedule. I can cook Indian (all sorts), Continental and Italian cuisines. This helps keep monotony at bay.

Watching Netflix and more









Some of my recommended shows and movies

I also enjoy watching web series and movies when I feel stressed out. It serves as a good distraction whenever I feel low. Horror, thriller and suspense are my favourites but good movies of any genre entertain me. Here is a curated list of some of my favorites!