Join the team!
We welcome applications from enthusiastic, adventurous individuals interested in our work. Our work is highly interdisciplinary, with space for people with interests/backgrounds in biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, chemistry, engineering, physics and quantitative approaches.
Openings: There are no short-term PA/JRF positions in the lab.
Ph.D students: Applications are made typically through the NCBS/inStem Graduate Program. Details are found at http://instem.res.in/careers/phd-studentship. Exceptional students with INSPIRE, CSIR-NET or DBT JRF fellowships can also apply directly to me, along with a short research proposal.
Post-doctoral Fellows: If you wish to apply for a post-doctoral position, please write to sunil@instem.res.in in with a copy of your CV, and a description of what you want to do in the lab. If you join the lab, you will be expected to apply for competitive postdoctoral fellowships, for which you will be strongly supported.
Summer students and trainees/JRFs: We accept a limited number of summer students or masters thesis students to work on defined projects for periods of 4 months to 1 year. Interested interns can write to sunil@instem.res.in with details on what interests you in our work, and a short description of something you might want to study in the lab.
We welcome applications from enthusiastic, adventurous individuals interested in our work. Our work is highly interdisciplinary, with space for people with interests/backgrounds in biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, chemistry, engineering, physics and quantitative approaches.
Openings: There are no short-term PA/JRF positions in the lab.
Ph.D students: Applications are made typically through the NCBS/inStem Graduate Program. Details are found at http://instem.res.in/careers/phd-studentship. Exceptional students with INSPIRE, CSIR-NET or DBT JRF fellowships can also apply directly to me, along with a short research proposal.
Post-doctoral Fellows: If you wish to apply for a post-doctoral position, please write to sunil@instem.res.in in with a copy of your CV, and a description of what you want to do in the lab. If you join the lab, you will be expected to apply for competitive postdoctoral fellowships, for which you will be strongly supported.
Summer students and trainees/JRFs: We accept a limited number of summer students or masters thesis students to work on defined projects for periods of 4 months to 1 year. Interested interns can write to sunil@instem.res.in with details on what interests you in our work, and a short description of something you might want to study in the lab.
Current lab members:
Sunil Laxman: PI
Actual role: fearless leader, grant & paper writer, crisis manager, tech support, (bad) competent cell maker, general lab monkey.
I am an Assistant Investigator at inStem, located within the National Center for Biological Sciences campus. l obtained a B. Tech from the Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology with Prof. Joseph Beavo, at the University of Washington, Seattle, where I studied cAMP signaling. My postdoctoral work was at the Dept. of Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, first with Prof. Steven McKnight, and then with Prof. Benjamin Tu, identifying metabolic sensors. Before my present gig, I used to have more time to pursue serious interests in travel and the outdoors, history, Indian classical music, and literature. I still try, and write an occasional science column for The Wire on the process of science.
Sunil Laxman: PI
Actual role: fearless leader, grant & paper writer, crisis manager, tech support, (bad) competent cell maker, general lab monkey.
I am an Assistant Investigator at inStem, located within the National Center for Biological Sciences campus. l obtained a B. Tech from the Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology with Prof. Joseph Beavo, at the University of Washington, Seattle, where I studied cAMP signaling. My postdoctoral work was at the Dept. of Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, first with Prof. Steven McKnight, and then with Prof. Benjamin Tu, identifying metabolic sensors. Before my present gig, I used to have more time to pursue serious interests in travel and the outdoors, history, Indian classical music, and literature. I still try, and write an occasional science column for The Wire on the process of science.
Postdoctoral fellows:
Adhish Walvekar: Postdoctoral fellow (DST-SERB National PDF)
Actual role: do real biochemistry.
Bio: I graduated with a Ph. D. degree (Biochemistry) from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, where I worked on allosteric and thiol-based regulation of the activity of NADP-glutamate dehydrogenase from Aspergillus niger. At inStem, I want to analyze the different decisions that yeast cells make (in varying nutritional states) from the metabolism perspective, and am currently interested in roles of tRNA modifications in metabolic regulation. Publications.
Ritu Gupta: Postdoctoral fellow (DST-SERB National PDF)
Actual role: do experiments with insanely large numbers of samples.
Bio: I did my PhD in Microbiology from the Indian Institute of Science, where I studied starvation induced sporulation program in budding yeast. I am extending my research interests at inStem, where I am exploring the role of yeast metabolic enzymes in preserving genome integrity. Publications.
Sriram Varahan: Postdoctoral fellow (Wellcome Trust-DBT Early Career Fellow)
Actual role: talk and think of microbiology, and occasionally do cool experiments.
Bio: Ph.D. University of Kansas (a Jayhawk!)
I graduated with a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Kansas where I characterized the role of peptide sex pheromones in biofilm formation and the virulence of vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE). Here at the SL Lab, I want to understand metobolic regulation in yeast biofilms and during differentiation, and how this could be used as a model to understand multicellularity in higher order organisms. Publications.
Raja Lakshmi S: Postdoctoral fellow (DST SERB-NPDF)
Actual role: bring a genomics/NGS perspective, and do some very hard experiments.
Bio: I did my Ph. D in Aswin's lab at National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, where I studied the role of global transcription regulators in maintaining gene expression homeostasis of E. coli. Currently, I am trying to understand early translational events of autophagy using yeast as a model system. Publications.
Ganesh KB: inStem-NCBS-Cambridge Postdoctoral fellow, joint with Christian Frezza at the MRC Cancer Unit.
Actual role: Look thoughtful, and ask interesting questions.
Bio: I did my PhD with Elliott Ross from UT Southwestern Medical Center where I built novel FRET sensors and deciphered molecular mechanisms underlying Phospholipase C regulation by heterotrimeric G protein subunits. As a NCBS-InStem-Cambridge fellow, I am currently in Cambridge working in the Frezza group on creating new tools for studying the role of metabolites in cellular homeostasis. In the future, I will move to the SL lab where I plan to work on identifying new regulators of mitochondrial function. Publications.
Akshay Das Adhikari: joint postdoctoral fellow with Teymuras Kurzchalia at MPI-CBG, Dresden.
Publications.
Ph.D. students:
Zeenat Rashida: Ph.D. student
Actual role: survive for 5 years, emerge transformed as a capable scientist.
Bio: I did my Bachelors in Biochemistry from Department of Biochemistry, Aligarh Muslim University and then moved to IIT Roorkee for a Masters in Biotechnology. I am broadly interested in understanding how the interaction between cellular organelles regulates cell fate decisions. Currently in the lab, I am exploring the role of metabolic switches in regulating metabolism.
Vineeth V: Ph.D. student.
Actual role: Hope to do science someday, while currently lost in the woods.
Bio: I completed my Bachelors and Masters in Biotechnology from School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala. I did my M.Sc. thesis work here at SL lab, where I worked on yeast ubiquitination. After that I joined the lab as a Ph.D. student. I enjoy painting, travelling and reading. If not in the lab, you can find me wandering in the campus (searching for BSNL coverage, mostly).
JRFs and project assistants:
Vinca Yadav
Bio: I completed my BSc and MSc from Miranda House (Delhi) and the Centre for Human Genetics (Bangalore) respectively. I am interested in exploring strategies that cells or cell populations use to “cope” when challenged with limiting resources, and understanding how molecular switches can tip the balance towards either a proliferative or a suspended state. I am also hugely interested in the role of metabolism in other cell-fate decisions such as in development, where a single cell ultimately gives rise to immensely complex structures, which are all made from genetically identical cells!
Alumni:
Postdocs/scientists:
Paromita Saha: Joint postdoc with Sandeep Krishna.
Shambhavi Naik: Postdoc/Technologist for the RCF theme at InSTEM. Now working with the Agastya foundation and Takshashila foundation.
JRFs/project assistants:
Shree Padma: PA/JRF (joint with Apurva Sarin, Aug 2017-June 2018). Will head to U. Michigan for a PhD.
Malavika Prithviraj: PA/JRF (July 2017-May 2018). Now going to U Mass (Amherst) for a PhD.
Sneha Das: PA/JRF (June 2016-Mar 2017). Now at UIUC for a PhD (MCB program).
Amit Agrawal: PA/JRF from 06/2015-10/2016. Now at the Weizmann Institute pursuing a PhD. His personal webpage.
Hemanth Maddali: PA/JRF from 07/2015-06/2016. Now at Rutgers University pursuing a PhD in Chemistry.
Meghana Cyanam: PA/JRF from 07/2015-06/2016. Now at Virginia Tech pursuing a PhD in Systems Biology.
Shiuli Maji: PA (Joint with Apurva Sarin, Aug 2015-Jan 2016).
Krithika Raman (PA, Jan-April 2015).
MSc thesis: Vineet V (May 2016), Sanjana Tak (Dec 2016), Anjali Shenoy (June 2017), Shree Padma (June 2017), Malavika Prithviraj (June 2017), Rudra Vaswata Roy Choudhury: Joint MS student with Anil Prabhakar, IIT-M. BERI fellowship (2017).
Summer intern alumni:
2017: Pratyusha Madnure (IISc), Divyanshi Verma (NISER Bhubhaneshwar), Ashutosh Khandual (NISER Bhubhaneshwar).
2016: Ramakrushna Swain (IISER Bhopal), Sharvari Harshe (MSU Baroda), Olivia Debnath (IISER Kolkata), Soorya James (Jamia Milla, Delhi), Shashwat Kumar (BITS Pilani Goa).
Past visitors, and lab adoptees:
Muskan Bhatia: visiting PhD student from Anand Bachhawat's lab at IISER-Mohali; Ajay Shah: visiting PhD student from IGIB (Shantanu Sengupta and Kausik Chakraborty labs); Dr. Ramya Purkanti: Ramya Purkanti: Completed her PhD with Mukund Thattai, while in our lab. Now in Boston on a B4 postdoctoral fellowship, Leo Darrigade: Intern (June-Sept 2015), from AgroParisTech, France. Now figuring out what to do in life..
PhD rotation students:
Pratyay Shah (NCBS PhD. program, rotation student Fall 2015), now in Shivaprasad's lab; Terrence Christie (NCBS PhD. program, rotation student in 2015), now in Aswin's lab.
Adhish Walvekar: Postdoctoral fellow (DST-SERB National PDF)
Actual role: do real biochemistry.
Bio: I graduated with a Ph. D. degree (Biochemistry) from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, where I worked on allosteric and thiol-based regulation of the activity of NADP-glutamate dehydrogenase from Aspergillus niger. At inStem, I want to analyze the different decisions that yeast cells make (in varying nutritional states) from the metabolism perspective, and am currently interested in roles of tRNA modifications in metabolic regulation. Publications.
Ritu Gupta: Postdoctoral fellow (DST-SERB National PDF)
Actual role: do experiments with insanely large numbers of samples.
Bio: I did my PhD in Microbiology from the Indian Institute of Science, where I studied starvation induced sporulation program in budding yeast. I am extending my research interests at inStem, where I am exploring the role of yeast metabolic enzymes in preserving genome integrity. Publications.
Sriram Varahan: Postdoctoral fellow (Wellcome Trust-DBT Early Career Fellow)
Actual role: talk and think of microbiology, and occasionally do cool experiments.
Bio: Ph.D. University of Kansas (a Jayhawk!)
I graduated with a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Kansas where I characterized the role of peptide sex pheromones in biofilm formation and the virulence of vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE). Here at the SL Lab, I want to understand metobolic regulation in yeast biofilms and during differentiation, and how this could be used as a model to understand multicellularity in higher order organisms. Publications.
Raja Lakshmi S: Postdoctoral fellow (DST SERB-NPDF)
Actual role: bring a genomics/NGS perspective, and do some very hard experiments.
Bio: I did my Ph. D in Aswin's lab at National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, where I studied the role of global transcription regulators in maintaining gene expression homeostasis of E. coli. Currently, I am trying to understand early translational events of autophagy using yeast as a model system. Publications.
Ganesh KB: inStem-NCBS-Cambridge Postdoctoral fellow, joint with Christian Frezza at the MRC Cancer Unit.
Actual role: Look thoughtful, and ask interesting questions.
Bio: I did my PhD with Elliott Ross from UT Southwestern Medical Center where I built novel FRET sensors and deciphered molecular mechanisms underlying Phospholipase C regulation by heterotrimeric G protein subunits. As a NCBS-InStem-Cambridge fellow, I am currently in Cambridge working in the Frezza group on creating new tools for studying the role of metabolites in cellular homeostasis. In the future, I will move to the SL lab where I plan to work on identifying new regulators of mitochondrial function. Publications.
Akshay Das Adhikari: joint postdoctoral fellow with Teymuras Kurzchalia at MPI-CBG, Dresden.
Publications.
Ph.D. students:
Zeenat Rashida: Ph.D. student
Actual role: survive for 5 years, emerge transformed as a capable scientist.
Bio: I did my Bachelors in Biochemistry from Department of Biochemistry, Aligarh Muslim University and then moved to IIT Roorkee for a Masters in Biotechnology. I am broadly interested in understanding how the interaction between cellular organelles regulates cell fate decisions. Currently in the lab, I am exploring the role of metabolic switches in regulating metabolism.
Vineeth V: Ph.D. student.
Actual role: Hope to do science someday, while currently lost in the woods.
Bio: I completed my Bachelors and Masters in Biotechnology from School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala. I did my M.Sc. thesis work here at SL lab, where I worked on yeast ubiquitination. After that I joined the lab as a Ph.D. student. I enjoy painting, travelling and reading. If not in the lab, you can find me wandering in the campus (searching for BSNL coverage, mostly).
JRFs and project assistants:
Vinca Yadav
Bio: I completed my BSc and MSc from Miranda House (Delhi) and the Centre for Human Genetics (Bangalore) respectively. I am interested in exploring strategies that cells or cell populations use to “cope” when challenged with limiting resources, and understanding how molecular switches can tip the balance towards either a proliferative or a suspended state. I am also hugely interested in the role of metabolism in other cell-fate decisions such as in development, where a single cell ultimately gives rise to immensely complex structures, which are all made from genetically identical cells!
Alumni:
Postdocs/scientists:
Paromita Saha: Joint postdoc with Sandeep Krishna.
Shambhavi Naik: Postdoc/Technologist for the RCF theme at InSTEM. Now working with the Agastya foundation and Takshashila foundation.
JRFs/project assistants:
Shree Padma: PA/JRF (joint with Apurva Sarin, Aug 2017-June 2018). Will head to U. Michigan for a PhD.
Malavika Prithviraj: PA/JRF (July 2017-May 2018). Now going to U Mass (Amherst) for a PhD.
Sneha Das: PA/JRF (June 2016-Mar 2017). Now at UIUC for a PhD (MCB program).
Amit Agrawal: PA/JRF from 06/2015-10/2016. Now at the Weizmann Institute pursuing a PhD. His personal webpage.
Hemanth Maddali: PA/JRF from 07/2015-06/2016. Now at Rutgers University pursuing a PhD in Chemistry.
Meghana Cyanam: PA/JRF from 07/2015-06/2016. Now at Virginia Tech pursuing a PhD in Systems Biology.
Shiuli Maji: PA (Joint with Apurva Sarin, Aug 2015-Jan 2016).
Krithika Raman (PA, Jan-April 2015).
MSc thesis: Vineet V (May 2016), Sanjana Tak (Dec 2016), Anjali Shenoy (June 2017), Shree Padma (June 2017), Malavika Prithviraj (June 2017), Rudra Vaswata Roy Choudhury: Joint MS student with Anil Prabhakar, IIT-M. BERI fellowship (2017).
Summer intern alumni:
2017: Pratyusha Madnure (IISc), Divyanshi Verma (NISER Bhubhaneshwar), Ashutosh Khandual (NISER Bhubhaneshwar).
2016: Ramakrushna Swain (IISER Bhopal), Sharvari Harshe (MSU Baroda), Olivia Debnath (IISER Kolkata), Soorya James (Jamia Milla, Delhi), Shashwat Kumar (BITS Pilani Goa).
Past visitors, and lab adoptees:
Muskan Bhatia: visiting PhD student from Anand Bachhawat's lab at IISER-Mohali; Ajay Shah: visiting PhD student from IGIB (Shantanu Sengupta and Kausik Chakraborty labs); Dr. Ramya Purkanti: Ramya Purkanti: Completed her PhD with Mukund Thattai, while in our lab. Now in Boston on a B4 postdoctoral fellowship, Leo Darrigade: Intern (June-Sept 2015), from AgroParisTech, France. Now figuring out what to do in life..
PhD rotation students:
Pratyay Shah (NCBS PhD. program, rotation student Fall 2015), now in Shivaprasad's lab; Terrence Christie (NCBS PhD. program, rotation student in 2015), now in Aswin's lab.