Additional Information

I am a Staff Scientist in the Thomas lab. My scientific journey began at the Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute in Mumbai, India, where I earned my PhD in Life Sciences in 2014. During my doctoral studies, I made notable contributions to understanding the intricate relationship between histone modifications and DNA damage response following irradiation, with a particular focus on cell cycle-specific alterations.

From 2014 to 2020, I pursued postdoctoral training at the Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, under the mentorship of Professor Michael Hendzel. During this time, I investigated the molecular mechanisms of DNA repair, making discoveries about the role of PARP1 in regulating DNA end resection during homologous recombination (Nature Communications, 2019) and the physical state of condensed chromatin (Cell, 2020).

I joined the NCI in 2022 as a Research Fellow and was promoted to Staff Scientist in 2024. My current research focuses on uncovering the molecular mechanisms driving SCLC metastasis and exploring DNA damage response and repair in SCLC. My expertise includes patient-derived cell line establishment, genomic instability, tumor microenvironment interactions, and cancer metabolism.

I am also deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists, guiding summer students, postbaccalaureate fellows, and postdoctoral fellows in their scientific pursuits.