Director, Student Relations

payel@scienspur.org

I completed my PhD from University of British Columbia, Vancouver (most beautiful city in the world) where I used Drosophila as a model system to functionalize human gene variants involved in neurodevelopmental disorders. Currently I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Van Vactor and Artavanis lab at Harvard Medical School, Boston. I am again using my favourite model organism, the "fruit-fly" to understand mechanisms of ALS pathology. When not in the lab, you can either find me biking around the city or in quaint old book shops and cafes.

Scienspur is a forum where one can not only get an opportunity to engage with young talented minds but also nurture their skills as a teacher, mentor and educator. I think as a scientist, I often get entangled in scientific jargon and forget that engaging with the community is an integral part of being who I am.  So here I am, trying to hone my existing skills, give back to the community and learn science while interacting with the talented organizers, instructors and students. 

Director, Instructors Recruitment

rajesh@scienspur.org

I am a stem cell biologist, working at Children’s Hospital- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA and my research focus on blood-related disorders. I did my PhD from NCBS-TIFR campus under guidance of Prof. VijayRaghavan. During Ph.D., I was exposed to the wonders of science and its real potential to change human life. My thesis work on muscle development and repair led stem cell discovery. My curiosity in science is coupled with equal enthusiasm in science communication to wider audience. I believe in making science education a fun process and accessible to young minds. 

Director, Communications

neha@scienspur.org

I am broadly interested in developing a better understanding of the protein structure-function relationship. Currently, as a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Prof. James Spudich at Stanford University, I study how cardiomyopathy-causing mutations in myosin protein affect its structure and function, ultimately pathologically affecting the force produced by the human heart. I developed a keen interest in protein dynamics during my PhD in the lab of Prof. Jayant Udgaonkar at National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, where I focused on protein folding kinetics and protein design. 

Outside of lab, I enjoy cooking, reading fiction and engaging in science communication. Effective communication of scientific knowledge is probably as important as its accumulation. I enjoy the process of repackaging my science to make it suited for different communication mediums and different audiences. As a part of the Scienspur team, I hope to use that excitement to make scientific advances accessible to young science enthusiasts.