Research interests:

I am a quantitative biologist with a background in physics. I use mathematical models spanning individual to community scales to study the evolution of viral life history traits and viral diversity with an emphasis on temperate viruses.

Temperate viruses can hijack host cell machinery and initiate lysis or lysogeny. Lysis results in cell death and release of many virus particles, whereas lysogeny leads to integration into the cellular genome and reproduction with the host. Lysogeny can provide cellular benefits, e.g. via superinfection immunity. Lysogens can also switch to the lytic pathway, causing the lysogen to die and release new viruses into the environment.

I am interested in the following questions:

1.      How is the lysis-lysogeny decision regulated at the individual level?

2.      What factors drive the evolution of viral life history traits in fluctuating environments?

3.      How does cooperation between temperate viruses and their hosts (through lysogeny) affect virus-host communities?

Education:

B.Sc (Research), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Ph.D, University of California San Diego