The gut microbiota plays an important role in enhancing and modulating the host immune system. However, the mechanisms or microbial components involved in this beneficial immune regulation is largely unknown.  My research project will investigate, screen and functionally characterise, via metabolomics and immunological approaches, key gut microbiome metabolites involved in this beneficial host-microbe cross talk. I am also involved in gut microbiota nutritional studies. Currently I am examining how a variety of bifidobacterial species utilise different breast milk components including Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO’s), and how their nutritional sharing ability enhances early life gut microbiota communities.

My research experience started after obtaining my MSc degree in Biochemistry (India) in 2009. I joined one of the premier research laboratories in India (CDFD), where I worked on Gram negative bacterial metabolisms and cell-cell communications, which furthered my interest in host-microbe interactions, and quorum sensing mechanisms.

In 2014 I had the opportunity to pursue one of these research interests – quorum sensing, and I enrolled for a PhD at ICGEB (Italy). My thesis mainly focused on investigating novel quorum sensing molecules and mechanisms in the plan pathogen Pseudomonas syringae.

I started as a postdoctoral scientist in January 2019 within the Hall group, where I am pursing one of my other research interests; namely host-microbe interactions.