Members
'There is a very special place in science for women who support other women'
~ The Wound Infection Lab.
Annual Diwali Party, October 2019
DR. Karishma S Kaushik
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR / RAMALINGASWAMI RE-ENTRY FELLOW
Ph.D. Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, UT Austin, USA
M.D. Clinical Microbiology, AFMC, Pune, INDIA
M.B.B.S. Maharashtra University of Health Sciences
Email: karishmaskaushik@gmail.com
Twitter: @KaushikLab
Snehal Kadam
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Master of Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune
Bachelor of Science, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune
My interests in microbes cultured after my participation in the iGEM 2015 competition, studying a bacterial synthetic genetic AND gate system. My Masters Thesis project led me further into the world of microbes studying a genetic regulatory network in Salmonella Typhimurium pathogenesis at the National University of Singapore. Fascinated by all things bacterial, I am particularly interested in studying bacterial pathogens and understanding host-pathogen interactions. I am also part of the PreLights community , where we highlight interesting preprints in biology. When I'm not in the lab, I'm either reading, dancing or finding new places and food to explore!
Email: snehalgkad@gmail.com
Twitter: @sne_kad
Vandana m
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
B.Sc. Microbiology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala
M.Sc. Microbiology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala
Graduated as a Microbiologist, I am always interested in understanding the microorganism to its depth. I'm also curious about parasitology and cancer biology. Other hobbies include drawing, gardening and preparing new recipes. Above all I find traveling most refreshing!
Email: kvandanas003@gmail.com
Twitter: @vanduz95
Masters' Thesis Students
Devyani Bhide
2nd Year, MSc Microbiology, Abasaheb Garware College, Pune.
My scientific interests mainly include immunology, genetics and medical microbiology. I am an avid reader love to travel. My love for dance comes from learning Bharatnatyam for the past eight years.
Vandana and Devyani presented their work at the National Research Scholars' Meet at ACTREC, Navi Mumbai in December 2019.
We are proud of them!
Devyani is working on developing an in vitro substrate based model to grow biofilms. She is also part of our Wound Fluid project.
Muhammed Sha Ashil K S
2nd year, M.Sc Microbiology Amrita school of Biotechnology, Kerala.
I am always passionate towards the micro world within us and around. I believe that for every problem there is a solution within the nature and we just have to mimic it. So i am highly interested in working with natural compounds in developing drugs for therapeutics. I love to engage with people and wanted to bring the best to my society.
We welcome Ashil to the lab!
Ashil is working to test the antimicrobial effects of various plant extract-based formulations.
Divyesh Sunil Pawar
2nd year, M.Sc. Biotechnology, Fergusson College, Pune.
The top-slice interests are microbiology, Animal and Plant Biotechnology, the interactions within themselves and the environment, and also the industrial biotechnology.
Besides this, creativity inside me also engages me in Photography, Video editing and loves to explore new possibilities.
We welcome Divyesh to the lab!
Divyesh is working on understanding the role of the skin commensal flora in the wound microenvironment.
Third-year project students (IBB)
Rutuja Ugale
3rd Year, Integrated M.Sc. Biotechnology, Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, SPPU,Pune.
Microbial world intrigues me. I am also interested in plant insect interaction,bioinformatics, molecular biology. I like to play with numbers; more interested in statistical analysis. I am a vagrant traveller of curiosity and like to explore new places
Utkarsha Tikhole
3rd Year, Integrated M.Sc. Biotechnology, Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, SPPU,Pune.
My scientific interests include subjects like microbiology, cell biology and molecular biology. I like reading, dancing and drawing.
Rutuja and Utkarsha represented our lab and presented their work at the 5th International Conference for Translational Research at NCCS, Pune.
We are proud of our undergraduate students!
Rutuja and Utkarsha are studying the role of certain wound fluid based components on bacterial biofilms. They are also part of our Wound Fluid project.
INTERNS
Developing a biocompatible device for wound infection studies:
Niharika Jadeja
3rd year, BA Molecular and Cellular Biology (Neurobiology), BA Integrative Biology (Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Diversity), UC Berkeley.
My passion for biology stems from how much we have yet to learn about it; my specific research interests include neurobiology of the order Carnivora (especially otters!) When I'm not studying, I love spending time outdoors and go on spontaneous field trips, searching for birds and herptiles. I also work at the UC Botanical Gardens and help prep specimens in the Prep Lab of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.
Jay Panchpor
Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical), MIT College of Engineering, Pune.
My passion for engineering stems from my curiosity to learn how the world around me works, and trying to rebuild it to be more efficient. I am particularly interested in the field of Robotics and it's application in Biomedical Engineering. I have created an affordable 3D printed Prosthetic Arm for my Bachelor's Project and I hope to make it available on a commercial scale soon. When I'm not working, you'll find me binge watching Masterchef Australia or roaming around the fields and forests looking for birds!
Jay recently won a two-day Medical Device Hackathon (MEDHA) organized by IIT-Bombay and will be proceeding to the next step of the competition.
Congratulations!
Infection Microcosms in Wound Infection Studies:
Anushree Kelkar
2nd Year, BSc Microbiology, Abasaheb Garware College, Pune.
I am interested in neuroscience, immunology, medical microbiology. I like sketching, travelling and have been learning German for the last 5 years.
Anushree is working with Vandana, Snehal, Rutuja and Utkarsha on a scientific writing project on infection microcosms in wound infection studies.
Watch this space for more details!
Previous Members:
Janhavi Lele
2nd Year, BSc Microbiology, Abasaheb Garware College, Pune.
Savani Sakhalkar
2nd Year, BSc Microbiology, Abasaheb Garware College, Pune.
Janhavi, Savani, Shivani and Pratiksha worked as interns in the lab. They did a literature review of wound infection model systems, to understand current model systems and their advantages and disadvantages in capturing the infected wound microenvironment.
This was published in Frontiers Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2019).
Pratiksha Mokashi
2nd Year, BSc Microbiology, Abasaheb Garware College, Pune.
Shivani Nadkarni
2nd Year, BSc Microbiology, Abasaheb Garware College, Pune.
Saptarsi Shai
3rd year, Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bharati Vidyapeeth, Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune.
Aditi Shahane
3rd year, Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bharati Vidyapeeth, Poona College of Pharmacy, Pune.
Saptarsi and Aditi looked at understanding current advances in wound therapies in this review paper!
Thanks for the work Saptarsi and Aditi, we enjoyed working with you!