Dr. Tushar M. Khopade (Jan 2019 - present) Research Topic: Bio-templated and organocatalytic synthetic strategies for natural products.
Tushar is from Pune, Maharashtra and he gained his master’s degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University and Ph. D. from IISER, Pune. In his graduate thesis work with Prof. R. G. Bhat, he focused on building organocatalytic strategies for the synthesis of biologically privileged motifs. He is currently engaged in development of bio-templated efficient total syntheses of natural products and mechanistic aspects of organic transformations. Besides research, he spends his time with family and plays cricket with intensity and passion.
Graduate Students
Dona Mariya Vincent (Ph. D.; Jan 2019 – ) Thesis topic: Design and synthesis of structurally unique molecules that reduce toxicity in anticancer therapies.
Dona is from Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala. Prior to joining IISER Tirupati, she had completed Integrated BS-MS Dual Degree Program in Chemistry from IISER Bhopal. She was a DST-INSPIRE Fellow (2013-2018), qualified GATE and CSIR-JRF-NET (Dec 2018). Dona’s current research is focused on unique anticancer natural product derivatives that traverse the substrate-inhibitor boundaries of P-glycoprotein and related efflux pumps. Besides research, she is interested in sports and travelling.
Kalyani Ajayan (Ph. D. Biology; Jan 2020 – ) Thesis topic: Harnessing genomes of indigenous medicinal plants of Southwestern India for new antibiotics.
Kalyani is from Kollam, Kerala, where she graduated in Biotechnology (BSc and MSc) from Amrita School of Biotechnology (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri). She joined IISER Tirupati Ph. D. (Biology) program with a CSIR JRF-NET fellowship in Jan 2020. Her research topic includes metabolic profiling and harnessing genomes of indigenous medicinal plants to characterize secondary metabolic pathways, as antibiotic leads. Medicinal richness of plants have always fascinated her and she is keen to look deeper into the biochemical interactions that give these molecules their bioactivity. At leisure, She enjoys painting, Bharathnatyam and Kathak.
Harish Pemmiraju (Ph. D. Chemistry; Aug 2019 – ) Thesis topic: Biomimetic synthesis and antivirulence activities of cyanobacterial isonitrile alkaloids.
Harish hails from Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. He Obtained his Master's degree from Krishna University PG Center, Nuzvidu, Andhra Pradesh. His M. Sc. thesis work was conducted with Dr. C. V. Ramana at CSIR-NCL Pune, India. He qualified GATE and CSIR-NET (LS) and is continuing his thesis work at IISER-T. Broadly, the topics of biomimetic synthesis of natural products and the field of synthetic organic chemistry inspires him. Besides research, his hobbies are playing cricket and reading books.
Sharada Sivaraman (Int-Ph. D. Chemistry; Aug 2019 – ) Thesis topic: Design and synthesis of peptidomimetics as potent leads against SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses.
Sharada Sivaraman is a 2nd-year Int-Ph. D. Student majoring in chemistry at IISER-T. Sharada is from Mumbai and did her undergraduate studies at VES College of Arts, Science, and Commerce, Mumbai. She is currently working on designing peptidomimetic inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2. Her broad research interests include understanding chemoselective modifications to proteins to fine-tune their function and effective antiviral drug discovery. The idea that the science she learns today is going to help her tackle tomorrow’s global problems, keeps her driven. Apart from academics, she spends her time reading, writing, and practicing Carnatic and instrumental music.
Subhasish Pradhan: (Ph. D. Chemistry; Aug 2022 – ) Thesis topic: Biomimetic total synthesis of natural product derivatives.
Subhasish Pradhan hails from Balasore, Odisha. He has completed his B.Sc from F. M university, Balasore and obtained his Master's degree in Chemistry from North Orissa University, Mayurbhanj in 2021 . He has qualified CSIR-UGC NET (LS) and GATE-'22 . As a part of his graduate study, he is currently taking courses and will be a Teaching assistant at IISER Tirupati's Chemistry department. His thesis will be focused on developing asymmetric synthetic strategies targeted on alkaloids and polyketide natural products with significant bioactivity. He is interested in playing chess and carrom at his leisure.
BS-MS Dual Degree Students
Riya Gogte (BS-MS class of 2023) MS Thesis title: Design and synthesis of non-nucleoside inhibitors of human RNR enzyme
Riya is currently an MS Thesis student at IISER Tirupati. She is from Pune, Maharashtra. She is a chemistry major with a DST INSPIRE Fellowship (2018-2023). She has keen interests in organic chemistry and biological sciences, especially at the interdisciplinary topics in chemical biology. She is currently focused on her MS Thesis project that targets new inhibitory scaffolds for the enzyme Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR). Her efforts are concentrated at the design and synthesis of novel non-nucleoside competitive inhibitors for RNR. Her desire to expand her fundamental knowledge about the complexities in the applied fields of enzymology and medicinal chemistry motivates he strongly. She is fond of sketching, reading, playing basketball and football (soccer).
Navneet Singh (BS-MS class of 2024) Project: Synthesis of derivatives of DKP natural products as bioactive compounds.
Navneet Singh joined IISER Tirupati in 2019 for his BS-MS Dual Degree program. He is from a village named Zainabad which is situated in Rewari district of Haryana. He is always excited to know about how medicinal drugs are synthesized and how the small structural changes alters the drug activity. This excitement creates a lot more interest in medicinal chemistry. He is currently pursuing a semester project under Dr. Rajesh Vishwanathan on the synthesis of novel derivatives of DKP natural products as bioactive leads. His hobbies includes listening to old real stories, and learning human psychology from real world.
Jyothis D (BS-MS class of 2024) Project: C3-activating strategies on L-Trp to measure substrate-directed stereoselectivities.
Jyothis joined IISER Tirupati in 2019 for his BS-MS dual degree. He is from Calicut, Kerala. He is interested in the total synthesis of natural products. He is currently in the Viswanathan Lab pursuing a semester project. The project focuses on stereoselective synthesis of DKP derivatives as bioactive natural product derivatives. His hobbies include playing badminton, football, drawing and videography.
JRF Project Student
Habib Mostafa (Oct 2021-Present) Project JRF: Biomimetic total synthesis of complex diketopiperazines as unique leads to overcome drug resistance
Habib Mostafa hails from Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal. He acquired his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Calcutta University in 2018. He then completed his Master′s in Chemistry (with specialization in Organic Chemistry) from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 2020. He then joined CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow as a project fellow with Dr. Nilanjana Majumdar prior to joining IISER Tirupati. He is a recipient of DST-INSPIRE fellowship (provisionally selected) in 2021. He joined the Viswanathan Lab as a SERB-JRF project fellow in October, 2021. Habib is working on biomimetic total synthesis of complex diketopiperazines as unique leads to overcome drug resistance. His broad research interests include synthesis of new chemical entities with significant bioactivity. Apart from research, Habib’s interests are in English Literature and maintaining a chemistry educational page on Facebook. He is deeply passionate about simplifying complex concepts to make it less daunting and more interesting for students.
Alumni
Swapnil Joshi (BS-MS; Graduated 2020) MS Thesis title: Biomimetic prenylation reactions and chemoenzymatic synthesis inspired by Nocardioazine alkaloids. Current Affiliation: Graduate student, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. PI: Prof. Michael Harris
Anza Suneer (BS-MS; Graduated 2021) MS Thesis title: Cyclic peptides as unique modulators of P-gp gateways
Jitheesh Joy (BS-MS; Graduated 2021) MS Thesis title: Design and synthesis of peptidomimetics as potent leads against SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses. Current Affiliation: Graduate student, Heinrich-Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany. PI: Prof. Holger Stark
Vishnu P. (BS-MS; Graduated 2021) MS Thesis title: Evaluation of new natural product derived compounds for the inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum.
Meera Joy (BS-MS; Graduated 2022; Recipient of Institute Silver Medal and Distinction) MS Thesis title: Development of enantio-enriched alkaloids with stage-specific antimalarial activities. Current Affiliation: Graduate student, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA.