Here at IMCS, I am working with Dr. Costantino Vetriani in the Deep-Sea Microbiology Lab. We study the ecology, physiology and evolution of microorganisms from shallow-water and deep-sea hydrothermal systems, which are among the most extreme environments on Earth. With temperatures as high as 400°C, pressure of several hundred atmospheres and a chemical environment that is usually toxic for life, hydrothermal vents are unique ecosystems. Understanding how microbes survive in such extreme conditions, how they mediate the transfer of chemical energy into biochemical energy and how they fix carbon dioxide to support the ecosystem is truly exciting. Furthermore, some of these microorganisms are possibly the oldest life forms on our planet. In our lab we integrate physiological and genomic studies of vent organisms with molecular approaches (e.g., transcriptomics) and bioinformatics to better understand their role in these ecosystems and their evolution. Currently, I am looking at the microbial community structure of shallow-water hydrothermal vents, where chemosynthetic and photosynthetic processes co-exist.

When I am not working I enjoy reading, listening to music, swimming and hanging out with friends. I have been trained in Bharatnatyam, a South Indian Classical dance. Staying away from home and having to cook for myself now, I have started enjoying cooking too! Back home I worked for a non-profit organization that was involved in community service.