I received my B.Sc.(Hons) in Biochemistry (First Class) from University of Delhi, India during which I was also a summer research fellow in the Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India.

Thereafter, I was in Germany for over 10 years where I did my M.Sc. in Neuroscience (University of Göttingen / International Max Planck Research School), PhD specializing in optogenetics and nematode C. elegans behaviour (University of Frankfurt), followed by a post-doc in Zebrafish stress neurobiology (MPI Heidelberg / University of Mainz).

I have been in Cork, Ireland since January 2020, first as an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland post-doctoral fellow at APC Microbiome Ireland, then as a lecturer (specific-purpose fixed-term, from August 2022 till January 2024) at the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, UCC, followed by Lectureship in Translational Pharmaceutical Sciences at the School of Pharmacy and iEd Hub (till September 2024), here at UCC.

Since October 2024, I hold a permanent lectureship in Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, UCC. I am also a senior scientist at APC Microbiome Ireland and co-chair UCC Race Equality Network. I serve as a director in the board of the ALBA Network and as the Science Communication Coordinator of the EU COST Action Affect-Evo.

I sit on the editorial boards of the journals - Gut Microbes Reports, International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology and Journal of Experimental Pharmacology.

Neuroscience, Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis, Stress and Social Neurobiology and Behaviour, Optogenetics, Neurodevelopment, Model organisms - Zebrafish and C. elegans, Hypothalamus, Exposome-Genetics-Microbiome Interactions.

Since joining UCC as a Lecturer, Lecturer above the bar & now in my substantive role, I have taught and examined in UG and PG modules across 7 programmes (MPharm/BPharm, MSc Pharmaceutical Technology & Quality Systems MSCPTQ, MSc Industrial Pharmaceutical Sciences Operations & Management MSCIPS, BSc Sciences, BSc Med Health Sci., MRes Industrial Pharmaceutics).

I have supervised 8 master’s theses from MSCIPS, graduated a visiting research master’s student (EPFL Lausanne) and I currently supervise 2 PhD students, 1 MRes student and 1 postdoctoral researcher.

Modules coordinated: PT2448 PT6401 PT3001 PT4024

Modules taught: PT1445 PT2448 FM2003/PT2201 PF2011 GN2001 PT3001 PF3009 PF3012 PT4005 PF4014 PT4024 PF4016 MH4010 AN4014 AN4011 APC Summer Student Postgraduate Teaching PF6037 PF6040 PT6401 PF6036-MSc theses PF6421-MPharm theses