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MENTORS IN ACADEMIA

Dr. Arun Kumar, Senior Scientist, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT)

LinkedIn Profile

Official Website

Current Location: Palampur, Himachal Pradesh

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	Panjab University, Chandigarh & CSIR-IHBT, Palampur, HP, India
Postdoctoral Fellow	McGill University, Canada
Postdoctoral Research Associate	University of Wisconsin Madison, USA
Ramanujan Fellow	Panjab Agricultural University, India

Field(s) of Experience: Enzymology, Protein engineering, Functional genomics, Crop improvement

A short description of current work:

(1) to identify enzymes with novel functions and exploit them in healthcare and agriculture industry

(2) to understand the mechanisms of genetic resistance in crops against bacterial and fungal pathogens at the molecular and biochemical levels and exploit this information for crop improvement.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

(1) identifying a suitable lab/workplace

(2) funding mechanisms

(3) settling down in Indian system

(4) effective collaborations can help them to establish their lab.

Dr. Sriram, Associate Professor, Biology, Azim Premji University

Official Website

Current Location: Bangalore, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	Rockefeller University, USA
Postdoctoral Researcher	Wisconsin Institute of Discovery, USA

Field(s) of Experience: Systems Biology, Undergraduate education in life sciences

A short description of current work:

(1) Undergraduate projects on the nature of computation in Physarum polycephalum

(2) Site-directed mutagenesis of chromoproteins

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

(1) Identifying collaborators

(2) Figuring out how to navigate systems in India

(3) Undergraduate research

(4) Balancing teaching and research

Dr. Shubhasis Haldar, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences

Official Website

Current Location: Kolkata, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), India
Postdoctoral fellow	Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Munich, Germany
Postdoctoral fellow	School of Engineering, University of California, Merced, USA
Postdoctoral fellow	Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, USA
Assistant Professor	Biology, Ashoka University

Field(s) of Experience: Biophysics

A short description of current work: Our lab work in the interface of physics, chemistry and biology – aiming to understand complex biological phenomenon, starting from force sensor proteins to chaperone biology. One of the main focuses of our lab is to understand the mechanics of force sensors and how it is interlinked with cellular signaling or diseases. Furthermore, our lab is developing novel single molecule methodology to understand the unanswered questions in chaperone biology, such as how HSP90 chaperone regulates cancer or why the over-expression of HSP70 blocks toxic protein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases. We are also interested in developing high throughput microfluidics screening assays to effectively detect monitor small sub-population and understanding the change in the thermodynamic properties while biomolecules interact with each other.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

1. collaborative opportunities in your field

2. job opportunities

3. funding

Dr. Ratna Ghosal, Assistant Professor, Biological and Life Sciences Division, Ahmedabad University

Official Website

Current Location: Ahmedabad, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD in Ecology	Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, India
Postdoctoral fellow	Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, India
Postdoctoral fellow	Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, USA
Research Associate	Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, USA

Field(s) of Experience: Ecology, Animal Behaviour, Conservation Biology

A short description of current work:

I am trained as an ecologist. My lab works at the intersection of ecology and environment. We try to understand different ecological processes, both at the individual and at the community level, across diverse environment types – ranging from natural to artificial environments. We use different readouts using behavior, molecular and endocrine tools to understand ecological patterns and responses of organisms towards environmental factors. My group works on a wide range of model organisms using a combination of field and lab/captive-based observations and experiments. We strive to apply our findings to resolve real-world problems within the domain of conservation biology.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

1. Interviews

2. Funding

3. Professional development

4. Collaborative opportunities in the field of ecology and environment

Dr. Abhinav Kanwal, Assistant Professor, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhathinda

LinkedIN

Current Location: Bhathinda, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	DBT-THSTI, India
Postdoctoral fellow	University of Chicago, USA
Assistant Professor	Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Field(s) of Experience: Pharmacology, Epiegentics, Cardiomyopathy, Diabetes

A short description of current work:

(1) Understanding how epigenetics helps in controlling the mitochondrial dynamics in diabetes

(2) How doxorubicin induced late on set of toxicity can be regulated

(3) Adverse drug reaction monitoring in the patients taking medicines

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

1. collaborative opportunities and

2. how personal and professional development can be done

Dr. Arindam Mondal, Assistant Professor, IIT-Kharagpur

Official Website

Current Location: Kharagpur, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	University of Calcutta, India
Postdoctoral fellow	University of Virginia, USA
Postdoctoral fellow	University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Assistant Scientist	University of Wisconsin- Madison, USA

Field(s) of Experience: Virology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Diagnostics

A short description of current work: We are interested in understanding the intricate molecular mechanism by which RNA viruses establish infection in a particular host species. During its life cycle, viruses recruits large number of host factors that facilitate different steps like attachment, entry, replication, transcription, assembly and release. We are studying the molecular basis by which viruses highjacks different host machineries in order to come up with novel therapeutic strategies or prophylactic measures. We are also developing various biosensor for rapid onsite detection of pathogen associated molecular markers and hence diagnoses of infection.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

1. interviews

2. collaborative opportunities in his field

3. job opportunities

4. funding

5. personal and professional development

Dr. Avijit Banik, Associate Professor, GITAM (Deemed to be University)

Official Website

LinkedIN Profile

Current Location: Visakhapatnam, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD in Neurology	PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Postdoctoral fellow in Anatomy	National University of Singapore, Singapore
Postdoctoral fellow in Pharmacology	Emory University, Atlanta, USA

Field(s) of Experience: Neuroscience

A short description of current work: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with substantial medical and societal burden, but, no current therapy is available that can clearly alter the disease progression. Recently the AD research has shifted its gear in mining the neuroinflammatory pathways to find a prudent treatment strategy. At GITAM, as a new faculty I aim to establish an independent research lab to investigate the role of neuroinflammatory pathways in AD neuropathology and cognition in in-vitro & in-vivo systems to identify potential therapeutic targets.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

How to look for job opportunities in India
How to start building a network in India before coming back
Application procedures
Interviews
Collaborative opportunities in your field
Funding opportunities in your field
How to choose your group/students?
Personal and Professional Development
Financial Responsibilities
Cultural and family shock on transition
Salary negotiation
Child care support/facilities/schools

Dr. Athi N Naganathan, Associate Professor, IIT-Madras

Official Website

Current Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD in Biochemistry	University of Maryland, USA
Postdoctoral fellow in Biosciences	CIB-CSIC, Spain
Postdoctoral fellow in Molecular Modeling	Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona, Spain

Field(s) of Experience: Protein Biophysics, Biomolecules

A short description of current work: We work at the interface of physics, chemistry and biology to understand and address questions related to protein folding, function, allostery, and disorder from the perspective of both experiments and simulations.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

How to look for job opportunities in India
How to start building a network in India before coming back
Application procedures
Interviews
Collaborative opportunities in your field
Funding opportunities in your field
How to choose your group/students?
Personal and Professional Development
Financial Responsibilities
Cultural and family shock on transition
Salary negotiation
Child care support/facilities/schools

Dr. Sanhita Sinharay, Assistant Professor, IISc Bangalore

Official Website

Current Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry	University of Arizona, USA
Postdoctoral fellow in Radiology and Imaging Sciences	National Institute of Health, USA
Instructor (Junior Faculty), Cancer Systems Imaging	MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

Field(s) of Experience: Chemistry, Biomedical and Molecular Imaging

A short description of current work: Our group is multidisciplinary and we focus on the development and translation of molecular imaging methods and contrast agents to improve early diagnosis and assess therapeutic interventions noninvasively in real-time in cancer and other diagnosis.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

How to start building a network in India before coming back
Application procedures
Interviews
Funding opportunities in your field

Dr. Anindita Dutta, ex-Group Lead, Tata Translational Cancer Research Centre (Current: Remote Research Fellow, University of Surrey, UK)

Official Website

Current Location: Kolkata, India (remotely working in UK)

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Jadavpur University, India
Postdoctoral fellow	Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, USA
Honorary researcher	Health and medical sciences, University of Manchester, UK
Group lead, Cell biology	Tata Translational Cancer Research Centre, Tata Medical Center, India

Field(s) of Expertise: Cancer, cell biology, 3D organoid, proteomics, clinical informatics

A short description of current work: I have been working as a group lead in cell biology at Tata Translational Cancer Research Centre from 2014 to 2022. Currently working as a research scientist in cancer proteomics and integrative proteogenomics in endometrial cancer at the University of Surrey, UK.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

How to look for job opportunities in India
Collaborative Opportunities in your field
Financial Responsibilities
Child Care Support/facilities/schools

Dr. Soumyadip Sett, Assistant Professor, IIT Gandhinagar

LinkedIn Profile

Current Location: Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD in Mechanical Engineering	University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
Postdoctoral fellow in Mechanical Science & Engineering	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Field(s) of Expertise: Thermo-fluids

A short description of current work: Micro/nanoengineered surfaces for enhanced condensation and thermal management. My research focuses on developing metal-based surfaces and coatings for droplet manipulation and heat transfer applications. Another research focus is in utilizing these novel surfaces for self-cleaning and antifouling applications.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

Collaborative opportunities in his field
Application procedures
Interviews
Funding opportunities in your field
How to choose your group/students

Dr. Himanshu Gogoi, Assistant Professor, Amity University

LinkedIn Profile

Current Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Postdoctoral fellow	Division of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, University of Florida, USA

Field(s) of Expertise: Vaccines, pulmonary immunology, immune- metabolism

A short description of current work: Currently, I work on age-related defects in the innate immune cells in mice and their effect on vaccine-induced immune response and devise targeted molecules to target those defects. I also study metabolic alterations in the innate immune cells of aged mice due to which they tend to be unresponsive to vaccinations.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

How to look for job opportunities in India
How to start building a network in India before coming back
Interviews
Application Procedures

MENTORS IN INDUSTRY

Dr. Raunak Bardia, Researcher, Shell India Markets Private Ltd.

LinkedIN

Current Location: Bangalore, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

Field(s) of Experience: Computational Science, Applied Mathematics, Engineering Software Development, Image Analysis, Rock Petrophysics

A short description of current work: I am currently working with the Scientific Image Analysis & Simulations team in the Digital R&D space of Shell. As part of this team, I am working to more closely integrate simulation modeling, analytical data science, and machine-based learning in the existing workflows of Shell. We work with assets that are spread across the world. Beyond technical expertise, it requires building up economic, commercial, operational, and people aspect of a project or solution.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions:

1. Dispelling of pre-conceived notions

2. Connection with India-based research communities

3. Fostering of collaboration in future.

4. Direct connections for job opportunities

Dr. Tathagata Mukherjee, General Manager, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.

LinkedIN

Current Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, USA
Postdoctoral fellow	National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, USA

Field(s) of Experience: Chemical Biology, Drug Discovery, Product Development, Project Management, Business Development

A short description of current work: Project Management, Grant writing and Business development

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions: Any question that mentees might have that when answered can reduce their anxiety when they take the decision to return to India

MENTORS IN START-UP SECTOR

Dr. Ved Prakash, Co-Founder and CEO, GeniUs Universal and NutriDocs

LinkedIN

Current Location: Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Previous Designation (starting with PhD):

Designation	Institute
PhD	Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, USA
Research Scientist	Office of Research, University of Texas at Dallas, USA

Field(s) of Experience: Entrepreneurship, health and wellness

A short description of current work: My wife and I run 3 businesses. GeniUs Universal focuses upon entrepreneurship education so that other aspiring entrepreneurs get equal opportunity to bring their ideas to a reality, while NutriDocs focuses upon health consulting so that people can stay healthy and focus on bigger goals rather than hospital visits. Intellecta focuses on online education for K12. Our current goal is to support 10 more families by 2030 to accomplish similar level of success so that we can work on worthwhile causes without worrying about basic survival.

What would he like to cover during the mentoring sessions: How to start building a network in India before coming back, Interviews, Collaborative opportunities in your field, Personal and Professional Development, Financial Responsibilities, Culture and family shock during transition