Principal Investigator
Dr Kavita Babu
kavitababu [at] iisc [dot] ac [dot] in
Kavita completed her undergraduate degree in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, from St. Joseph's College, Bangalore. She then attended the MSc Biotechnology programme at The Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), Baroda but left midway to pursue her doctorate at Professor William Chia's laboratory at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB, now IMCB-A*STAR), Singapore, King's College London (MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology), London and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory. Kavita went on to do her Post-doctoral research at Professor Josh Kaplan's laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Department of Molecular Biology), Boston, MA. Subsequently, in August 2011, Kavita joined IISER, Mohali.
After spending more than 7 years in Mohali, Kavita moved back home in 2019 and is currently studying aspects of the C. elegans nervous system at The Centre for Neuroscience (CNS) at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
Kavita was a Wellcome Trust — DBT India Alliance Intermediate Fellow and a recipient of the DBT-Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award. She is currently a Wellcome Trust — DBT India Alliance Senior Fellow and is a recipient of the Janaki Ammal- National Women Bioscientist Award (young category, 2019).
Staff
umer.bhat [at] babulab [dot] org
Umer hails from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. He has done his BSc from Amar Singh College, Srinagar and graduated with and MSc from University of Kashmir in 2018.
Umer is a recipient of DBT-JRF Fellowship (2018) and has also qualified CSIR UGC NET exams in June and December, 2017 as well as the GATE entrance test in 2018. Umer worked on neuropeptidergic circuits in C. elegans and graduated with a PhD from IISER Mohali in October 2024. He is currently writing up his papers for publications.
Apart from research, Umer is very interested in photography.
tanumoynandi [at] iisc [dot] ac [dot] in
Tanumoy is from Barddhaman, West Bengal. He completed his B.Sc. in Zoology from Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur Math with the DST INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education (2019-2022). He completed the M.Sc. Life science programme in IISc after clearing JAM 2022. Tanumoy received his MSc degree from IISc in 2024 as a member of the first graduating batch from this program. He joined our lab in January 2023 for his Master’s thesis. Currently, Tanumoy is a Project Associate and is working with Monmita on learning and memory in C. elegans.
Tanumoy has qualified GATE(XL) 2023 and CSIR UGC NET in June 2023. He was a recipient of the Bayer’s Fellowship toward supporting his Master’s degree in Life Sciences at IISc.
Suresh makes and autoclaves media, pours plates, and helps keep our lab clean and running.
Doctoral Students
aishwarya.ahuja [at] babulab [dot] org
Aishwarya did her schooling and graduation from Delhi. She graduated in Zoology from Maitreyi college, Delhi University in the year 2016 and then went on to pursue her Masters in Biotechnology from Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune through the JNU CEEB Biotechnology entrance exam. Aishwarya joined the Centre for Neuroscience, IISc for her PhD in 2018.
Aishwarya has qualified GATE 2018 and the DBT-JRF (2018) entrance exam.
Aishwarya is interested in molecular neuroscience and is currently gearing up to understand the role of claudins in the interneurons of C. elegans.
navneet.shahi [at] babulab [dot] org
Born and raised in Punjab for the first 18 years of her life, Navneet pursued her graduation from the Biochemistry department of Panjab University, Chandigarh. After qualifying the JNU-CEEB exam, she joined the Biotechnology department of Pune University and obtained her MSc degree.
She qualified the CSIR-NET JRF exam (Dec 2017) and the GATE exam for life sciences (Feb 2019) and joined us at the Centre for Neuroscience in IISc for her PhD in August 2019.
Navneet is currently interested in understanding the role of Cell-adhesion molecules in the nervous system of C. elegans. Apart from research, She’s fond of travelling, adventure sports and Photography.
tripti.seth [at] babulab [dot] org
Tripti is a native of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. She graduated in Zoology from Banaras Hindu University. Tripti then went on to obtain her Master's degree in Zoology from the University of Delhi. Tripti joined Centre for Neuroscience, IISc, Bangalore in August 2019.
Tripti has qualified the CSIR-UGC JRF fellowship in June 2018 and is interested in studying the role of cell adhesion molecules in primary neuronal cultures.
monmita.bhar [at] babulab [dot] org
Monmita hails from the city of Chandannagar, West Bengal. She completed her undergraduate education from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata receiving her degree in Microbiology from The University of Calcutta.
Monmita qualified the JAM exam in 2017 and joined Indian Institute of Science as an Integrated PhD student at the Department of Biological Sciences. As a graduate student in our lab, she is currently studying aspects of learning and memory in C. elegans with Kamal Kishore.
Monmita is a classically trained singer and dancer.
kamal.kishore [at] babulab [dot] org
Kamal Kishore is from the capital city of India, New Delhi, where he completed his schooling and undergraduate education. Kamal Kishore completed his BSc in Zoology from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He went on to join the integrated PhD program at IISc through the JAM 2019 exam, where he scores an all India Rank of 5. Kamal Kishore is currently pursuing his PhD in our lab at the Centre for Neuroscience, IISc, Bangalore.
Kamal Kishore has qualified the CSIR-NET JRF fellowship in December 2019 and is currently studying memory formation in C. elegans with Monmita.
anushar [at] iisc [dot] ac [dot] in
Originally from Varanasi, Anusha completed her B.Sc in Biotechnology, Chemistry and Zoology from Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore. Subsequently, she cleared the IIT-JAM Biotechnology exam and joined the Department of Biological Sciences, IISc as an Integrated PhD student in August 2021. Anusha is interested in molecular neuroscience and is studying the role of claudins in C. elegans neurons along with Aishwarya. Apart from science, Anusha enjoys reading novels, photography and playing chess.
sharanyah [at] iisc [dot] ac [dot] in
Sharanya hails from Chennai. She obtained
her BS-MS Dual Degree in Biological Sciences from IISER Thiruvanant-hapuram, during which she was a recipient of the DST INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education (2016-2021). She was awarded a Certificate of Distinction for obtaining a CGPA above 9. She joined IISc in Jan 2022 to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience. She is a recipient of the DBT-JRF fellowship (2022). Sharanya is interested in studying the role of neuropeptides in the regulation of foraging behaviour in C. elegans.
Apart from research, Sharanya enjoys reading novels, singing and playing badminton.
psiddhant [at] iisc [dot] ac [dot] in
Siddhant was born and raised in Lucknow, where he attended La Martiniere College. He pursued a B.Sc. (Hons) in Botany from the University of Delhi, followed by a Master’s in Human Disease Genetics at the Centre for Human Genetics, Bengaluru. Siddhant has qualified exams such as JGEEBILS 2024 and DBT-JRF 2024.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Siddhant enjoys traveling, exploring diverse cuisines, and spending time with animals.
Undergraduate/Graduate Students
bprerna [at] iisc [dot] ac [dot] in
With her roots in Bengal, Prerana comes from the district of Murshidabad.
Prerana completed her triple major BSc. degree in Zoology, Botany, and Chemistry, from Mount Carmel College, Autonomous, Bengaluru (2023), bagging the Mercury Paper Agencies Golden Jubilee Prize for being the highest scorer in Academics. She joined the MSc. Lifesciences program in IISc by qualifying for the GATE(XL) entrance exam in 2023.
Owing to her avid interest in the molecular aspects of Neuroscience, she joined our lab in May 2024 for her master’s thesis. She is currently working with Tripti to understand the role and expression of cell adhesion molecules in primary neuron cultures.
Besides academics, Prerana is a voracious reader, a passionate writer, an adept swimmer, and a trained classical singer.
harinika [dot] k2020 [at] vitstudent [dot] ac [dot] in
Harinika, originally from Tamilnadu, is pursuing an Integrated MSc in Biotechnology at Vellore Institute of Technology. Driven by a deep curiosity for neuroscience, she joined the lab for her master’s dissertation. Harinika is working under Aishwarya and Anusha to explore the intricate world of C. elegans, focusing on the role of claudins and deepening her understanding of molecular mechanisms. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading novels, spending time with her family, photography, and finding serenity in solitude
dimpledahiya564 [at] gmail [dot] com
Dimple Dahiya, a master's student in integrated biotechnology at VIT
Vellore, is undertaking her dissertation research on the genetic mechanisms of behavior in C. elegans. Working closely with Navneet, she explores how specific genes influence neural activity and ultimately shape behavioral patterns. Hailing from Rajasthan,
Dimple also enjoys a variety of activities outside the lab, including immersing herself in a good book, exploring new destinations, finding peace in nature, and dancing her heart out.