Transparency

“My interest in science can be attributed to my cousin whom I closely observed during his medical exam preparations. I watched him study long hours into the night and eventually get a seat. So my initial plan was to pursue medicine just like him. I never made it through the entrance, and looking back, I am glad I chose to do a PhD after that.

I went through the conventional path of doing a Bachelor’s and Master’s but my exposure to academic research took place when I went for my summer internship at IISc. What piqued my interest further was studying the structure of the capsid protein of a virus during my master’s dissertation at IIT Roorkee. I was led into the realm of microtubules during a cell biology course and eventually knew I wanted to explore this area more in my PhD.

Although I got the opportunity to get into one of the best molecular biology laboratories in the country, what really helped me grow as a scientist was an active social life. I started playing badminton which I had never played in my life, at IIT Bombay, during my leisure time and made many friends. I think inculcating hobbies, especially during a PhD, can help us gain fresh perspectives and is helpful in the long academic run. It is not always about getting good results in the laboratory, what matters is how good you feel about yourself. Therefore, at times, you need to take some time for yourself and take that vacation…