Mentor:  Brian Crane

Education:

Cornell University – M.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , 2017-19

National Institute of Technology, Karnataka (NITK) – B. Tech. (Chemical Engineering), 2013-17

Awards and Honors:

• Rotary Club Travel Grant in 2016 for research at Florida State University
• Best outgoing student in 2011, Delhi Public School
• Scholar Badge for excellence in Academics in 2010, Delhi Public School
  

Research Experience:

• B.Tech Group Research Thesis, NITK; Advisor, Dr. I. Regupathi (2016-2017)
• Summer Internship, Florida State University; Advisor, Dr. S.K. Sathe (May-July 2016)
• M.S. Thesis, Cornell; Advisor, Dr. Holger Sondermann (2017-2019)

Current Research Activities:

Spirochetes are responsible for several human diseases, including Lyme disease and syphilis.  The emergence of multi-drug resistant strains has led to the need to identify new molecular targets in order to develop novel antimicrobials and therapeutic strategies. Recently, a unique lysinoalanine (Lal) cross-link in the FlgE hook protein of the spirochete flagella was found to be essential for cell motility, and hence infectivity.  My research aims to expand our understanding of the role that Lal cross-linking plays in imparting strength and rigidity to the hook structure and ultimately enabling cell motility and pathogenesis. In addition, chemical studies will be carried out to identify and study small-molecule inhibitors of Lal cross-linking. These compounds will be used both as tools to investigate the role of motility in infection and as potential lead compounds to develop treatments for spirochete infections in humans and animals.