Bhadravathi to Boston

“I had very limited exposure to research while growing up although I loved biology and wanted to pursue it further. The craving of working in a real laboratory and the ability to look at cells in real time prompted me to apply for PhD entrance exams. I remember when we were going through our last lag of interviews at National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), we were also given a tour of the laboratories. The environment there mesmerized me and was all the reason I needed to join the institute.

My PhD journey was a life-changing experience for me. Not only was I exposed to a different kind of science compared to what I had learnt in the textbooks, there was a huge shift in my own personality. I shifted from drinking coffee to chai, learned new languages, explored the country and its rich culture, all the while doing science. I was blessed to have an excellent supervisor to guide me through this entire process. PhD comes with a lot of rejections and setbacks. But to positively use that as a force to push you forward was something that my guide imbibed in me. Apart from doing Science, we also went on trips. One such trip was at Nalanda University where I had an interesting discussion about philosophy with my supervisor which made me realize that science and philosophy are two sides of the same coin and although everybody has their own perspective, in the end it all comes together to build an amazing idea.