We develop computational approaches to study the molecular basis of pathogenesis and intervention of infectious diseases.
Our research involves developing computational approaches that can leverage large-scale genomic data to gain actionable insights into infectious disease biology. Specifically, we focus on three key areas:
i) unraveling molecular mechanisms common between non-infectious and infectious diseases, to guide targeted drug repurposing, ii) identifying genomic signatures, functions, and mechanisms relevant to host-pathogen interactions, to enable understanding and guide diagnosis, and iii) developing tools and resources for seamlessly relating sequence, structure, and function of genes/proteins in poorly characterized pathogens.
Computational biology | Bioinformatics | Molecular evolution & phylogeny | Comparative pathogenomics | Molecular drug/vaccine discovery | Data analysis & visualization
I am a computational biologist at the Dept. of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, Michigan State University. I work on protein sequence-structure-function relationships, comparative genomics, and drug repurposing as they relate to infectious diseases.
I also teach data analysis and visualization and /Python programming to diverse groups in non-traditional settings. As part of this effort, I founded R-Ladies East Lansing and Women+ Data Science, through which we host our meetups & webinars!
PhD in Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, 2011
Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA
BTech in Biotechnology, 2006
Anna University | Chennai, India