About
Originally from Nepal, my passion for science, particularly at the intersection of biology and mathematics, led me to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Bioinformatics at Ramapo College of New Jersey. The courses there exposed me to a broad range of topics, from microbiology to algorithms, but it was an elective course, Protein Structure and Modeling, taught by Dr. Ashley Stuart, that sparked my deep fascination with protein structures. I was captivated by the idea of proteins as nanoscale molecular machines, especially when I learned about the early evidence of molecular evolution revealed through the crystal structures of myoglobin and hemoglobin, and the concept of modularity in proteins.
This interest grew into a commitment to understanding the structure-function relationships within protein families by leveraging evolutionary data from protein sequences. To further this goal, I pursued a PhD at the University of Georgia under the mentorship of Dr. Natarajan Kannan. During my graduate work, I elucidated the evolutionary mechanisms of regulation and substrate specificity in the ancient kinase fold enzyme family, Fructosamine-3-kinases (FN3Ks), employing both computational and experimental approaches. Moving forward, my postdoctoral work will continue to explore protein structure-function relationships, particularly within the context of larger cellular processes.
Outside the lab, I’m passionate about playing Sunday league soccer, where I enjoy playing on the wings or in the midfield. When I’m not on the field or taking my dog, Millie, for a walk, you’ll likely find me watching Frasier, my all-time favorite show.
