My interest in Evolution has been a constant in my life ever since I learned about it. Due to this interest, I got selected for the KVPY scholarship using which I enrolled for my undergraduate studies at IISER Mohali, India. During the five years of my studies, I was exposed to the major basic sciences through theoretical and practical courses. My MS thesis project focused on the dynamics of coinfection of pathogens in baseline D. melanogaster population. I graduated with an integrated BS/MS degree with a major in Biology.  

My enthusiasm for Evolution and Genetics only increased through these years, encouraging me to pursue a PhD in the same. At Prof. Schlötterer’s lab, I will be studying adaptation to density-dependant selection using experimental evolution in D. simulans populations. By conducting evolve and re-sequence, and DNA and RNA sequencing on these evolved populations, we hope to identify the loci which are adapting due to this selection pressure, and also their molecular and biological functions, thus helping to identify their phenotypic targets.

The interdisciplinary research conducted at the Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics provides the perfect foundation for me to acquire new skills and gain more knowledge.