Research Journey

I was born in a middle-class family to a teacher mother and a CAD designer father. My father was an expatriate, and I emigrated to Saudi Arabia at the young age of two. My parents homeschooled me until fourth grade. It was my father who taught me science and maths, he was a wonderful teacher who would spark curiosity every time he taught something by promoting questioning and reasoning, which led me to develop further interests in either. I was of small stature for my age in my early school days, which made PE classes my worst nightmares; hence I took refuge in the library reading books (I do realize that it isn't something to think positively about) which fascinated me and drew me closer and closer to my decision to become a scientist (though my understanding of what a scientist was, is far from what it means to be one). After my tenth grade, I left the Kingdom to return to India to pursue my higher education. I studied 11th and 12th in a local school near my home. I explored the options available for me to pursue a career in science. My parents were supportive of my career choices, but no one else in my family or friends was in the research field, so I was primarily self-guided in my pursuit. The science idol that most Indian students of my generation took as a role model was our former president Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, who was an engineer by initial training. Furthermore, many ISRO (Indian equivalent of NASA) scientists that I could look up were engineers too. I decided that I wanted to join a core engineering course and climb my ladder from there, doing a PhD after that to slide myself into a career in science. Soon enough, thanks to supportive teachers and a conducive environment in my high school, I realised that engineering wasn't the right path towards my goal though that was the prevalent method in my country, and then I decided to get my degree in Physics.

I joined IISER – Thiruvananthapuram, an institute was a young university built by the Indian Government to correct its earlier mistake of keeping research separate from higher education by coalescing and thus promoting research into basic and Interdisciplinary sciences in India. At IISER, I pursued an integrated BS-MS dual degree in Physics. I was fascinated to be part of my long dream to become a part of the research community. I had several interests and was worried that I couldn't pursue research in all. So, I needed to find out my perfect cup of tea. I decided I had to do two things, first was to try out various fields and second, to interact with as many people as possible. As part of my former decision, I did internships in varied areas across subjects such as hematopoietic stem cells, Group theory, DNA sequencing, organic chemistry, and Material Sciences and Energy devices. Such an odd cocktail of experiences wouldn't make one a master in any but to the enthusiastic me, that wasn't a problem; My goal was to explore and find what fits me best. I received INSPIRE and KVPY fellowships, which are among India's most coveted undergraduate levels, and they supported me financially. The second part of interacting with people was achieved by being an active member at various levels, including the student council, placement cell, and being part of oraganising various conferences. This also gave me valuable life lessons in understanding, collaboration, and networking, lessons I hold very dearly today. Further, I qualified in the national ideathon contest and was thus selected to attend the Nobel Prize series 2017 held in Gujarat, India. A marvelous opportunity to meet ten Nobel laureates and some of the most brilliant undergraduate minds in India. Through this journey, I accomplished my goal of figuring out what problems excite me and what questions infatuate me.

It is challenging to design simple nanomaterial self-assembly to produce results in controlled and isolated in-vitro conditions. I am intrigued by biomolecules that behave with more complex interactions in a vibrant mixture of other biomolecules in the cell cytoplasm yet churn out desired macroscopic results with relatively low or self rectifying defects. I felt instant love for this complexity, waiting to be understood and learnt in physical and chemical terms and how they collectively churn out macroscopic behaviors. The immense potential for discoveries and interesting open questions entrenched my attraction. Thus, I realized that I need to do my Ph.D. in interface biology shares with physics, chemistry, and materials.

My days and research at IISER came to an abrupt end, followed by an online convocation in 2020, and the subsequent were the toughest years I have faced in my life thus far. A raging pandemic forced me to shut myself within the confinement of my home. For an extrovert such as myself, it was my worst nightmare come true, and I was depressed and extremely so. During my final year at IISER, I had qualified for CSIR JRF fellowship, JEST, gate, and other fellowships in Physics to pursue a Ph.D. in India. I was offered a Ph.D. in some of the prestigious institutes in India but in Physics or Electrochemistry, which wasn't what I sought. Thus, forced into a career break, losing my drive and the energy that usually courses through my vein was a truly humbling experience. I believe that I must embrace and share it as much as I share my successes, for they are equally a part of my growth. A quote from Friedrich Nietzsche's work reads, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Through the support from family and friends, I rose above it.

Later in 2022, I joined Professor Rahul Roy's group in IISc Bangalore and currently work to unravel mysteries that lie within membrane biophysics and viral membrane fusion. My voyage as a researcher continues and hopefully will be updated as I move forward.