Profile

I am a research scientist working at the University of Oxford. I grew up in Pune, a wonderful city in western India that has a rich history and a vibrant educational environment. I went to school and university in Pune and then moved to the Bangalore in the south of India to do my PhD. I was excited to come to the UK, not just for the exciting research but also because I love travelling and discovering new places. It is so much fun to try out local food, learn about the history of the place and its peoples. I’ve have also always loved reading, particularly fiction. Give me a good story book, and I need nothing else till I am done with it!

I first learnt about the immune system and its many specialised cells during my undergrad microbiology degree. I was fascinated by these cells that are always on the lookout for pathogens, protecting us from infections and ready to respond to the unknown.

I also like trying out new skills and activities, though have met with varying degrees of success. I have tried to knit (made a few wonky scarves for friends), taken up painting (mainly, paint-by-numbers), and also done a bit of trial-and-error gardening (actually harvested some tomatoes for the first time ever this year!). I view cooking as a lot like being in the middle of an experiment in a lab, but I do enjoy cooking for friends and family 🙂

I study immune cells that form our body’s defence system, mainly B cells and T cells. These cells can recognise, remember and respond to a mind-boggling variety of pathogens: bacteria, fungi, viruses. At the same time, B and T cells also learn to recognise our own body cells and to not react to our own cells. I find their ability to respond to almost all harmful agents and yet not respond to our own self very fascinating.  I study how B cells are made, how they identify and remember pathogens (immune memory) and how they respond during infections or vaccinations to become antibody secreting plasma cells. If we understand more about what leads to a strong immune response, we can make better vaccines and develop better ways to treat people who are immuno-compromised or who have auto-immune disease.

The fun about doing research is that there are very few typical days. I really enjoy that every week I might be doing a different experiment or listening to someone else’s new work. However, most work days have a similar structure: when I get to work, I usually check my plans and meetings for the day, start my experiments in the lab, catch-up with colleagues and students for coffee and discussions, and usually have lunch together with lab mates. In the afternoon I might carry on with my experiment or analyse and plot data, working at the computer. Some days I might spend most of the day writing up my results so that I can put them all together into a logical narrative, much like a story.

Usually I spend at least a couple of hours every week reading about new research from other labs and thinking about how their new discoveries might help me with my work. I also enjoy teaching undergrad and postgrad students. This means that I have had to really study when I prepare lectures for my students. I like this aspect of my job, that there is always more to learn, especially even when I am preparing to teach.