Lecture Series in Advanced Biology 2017 Theme: Microbiome and Animal Behaviour

Co-ordinators: Bhaktee Dongaonkar, Dhananjay Chaturvedi, Geetha GT, Imroze Khan, KanagaVijayan, Lakshmi Balasubramanian, Megha, Sathya Srinivasachari, Savita Chib, Suman Das and VS Pragadheesh

A lecture series in advanced biology topics around the ambit of microbiome and animal behaviour will take place on NCBS campus, Bangalore.Classes will be held every Sunday, from 29th January to 19th March 2017, from 9.30 AM to 12:30 PM.

The target audience is students currently enrolled in bachelor level courses (BS, BSc) and master level course (MSc) with a strong interest in fundamental research. The minimum biology experience expected is 12th standard/ II PUC.

Classes would be led by postdoctoral researchers of NCBS (Speakers listed below), and will focus on chosen topics in the realm of microbiome and animal behaviour. Each lecture will have two components:

1) Introduction to the topic

2) Scientific activities such as research paper discussion and thought experiments

Please note that the format of this course is discussion-based. It is aimed at understanding biology from a research perspective. Students will be expected to read provided materials and engage in discussions during the classes. The research paper discussion will be an interactive session: a research paper will be provided, students are required to read it, and come prepared to present data from the paper and discuss the results. Attendance in all classes would be mandatory.

No. of Participants: 40 students. (3rd year BSc students).

<<LS2017 group photo>>

 

For further queries please email ncbs.outreach at gmail.com

Speakers

Bhaktee Dongaonkar, PhD

I completed my PhD in Cognition and Neural Systems at the University of Arizona. I am postdoctoral fellow at NCBS. I study how psychosocial stress and depression affect memory processes in humans.

Dhananjay Chaturvedi, PhD

I studied Microbiology as an undergraduate, Brain development in mice as a master’s student and Drosophilagermline stem cells in my PhD. Currently I’m looking at muscle development using Drosophila as a model system. In spite of the variety in subjects, I continue to be fascinated by integrated function of all organisms.

Geetha GT, PhD

I have completed my masters in biochemistry and PhD in Entomology. During my PhD I studied the chemical ecology and electrophysiology aspects of Myllocerus undecimpustulatus weevil. Currently, I am working on understanding the impact of air pollution on insect chemosensation.

Imroze Khan, PhD

I am an evolutionary biologist based at National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore. I am interested in understanding of parameters that determine the evolution of immune response using insects as model system. Additionally, I am also curious about research areas that do not directly overlap with my major focus such as chemical ecology of sexual interaction and evolution of sexual reproduction.

KanagaVijayan, PhD

I studied the role of lipid metabolism in yeast aging during my Ph.D. Now, I am pursuing as a Post-Doctoral fellow in inStem. My major area of research interest is lipid and protein biochemistry.

Lakshmi Balasubramanian, PhD

I am trained chemist and got my PhD in Bioinformatics by working in conformations of protein structure. Currently I am working to understand host-pathogen interactions using Bioimage analysis.

Megha, PhD

I studied the biophysical properties of lipids for my PhD at Stony Brook University. Then I wanted to work with complex systems so I had a brief foray in infectious diseases at the University of Washington, Seattle. Currently I am fulfilling my interest in studying animal-level biology with investigations on nutrition and development in Drosophila here at NCBS.

Savita Chib, PhD

I received PhD from Indian Institute of Science Bangalore. During PhD, I investigated the genetic basis of adaptation in bacteria under prolonged starvation. After PhD, I worked on cellular immune responses to flaviviruses, particularly Japanese Encephalitis viruses in humans. My current research involves genome-wide profiling of bacteria evolving under stress in order to study the nature of mutations and map the underlying transcriptional changes which aid bacterial survival under stress.

VS Pragadheesh, PhD

I am a natural product analytical chemist working in chemical ecology. I completed my PhD in chemical sciences from CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and pursuing my post-doctoral work in chemical ecology at NCBS. I am fascinated to explore different aspects of natural product chemical resources.