I come from Pune, a city in Indian western state of Maharashtra. I  completed my Bachelors in Microbiology from Savitribai Phule Pune University (formerly, University of Pune) and Masters in Virology from the National Institute of Virology, India. My Master’s thesis project was in the field of bat virology and was carried out at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada under the guidance of Prof. Misra where I worked to analyze the effect of intracellular stress responses on the lytic replication of a novel bat gamma herpes virus.

I am glad to have been accepted in the Interdisciplinary Graduate program in Human Toxicology at the University of Iowa. Having developed an interest in applied sciences, and because of the interdisciplinary nature of the field and the vast applicability of it in basic research as well as in industry, I chose to study toxicology for my PhD. I look forward to and hopes to pursue a career in industry after my graduation in toxicology.

Advisor: Hans-Joachim Lehmler, PhD,  Jonathan Doorn, PhD