Vasudha

Which lab are you currently working in?
I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Sodora lab.

What are you doing at Seattle Biomedical Research Institute?
My research looks at the different T cell subsets and their role in prevention of SIV disease progression.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Southern India. We moved around a lot in India because of my father’s job. When I was in 10th grade, we lived in Chennai. By 11th and 12th grade we had moved to Hyderabad. This city is known as the “high tech city” of India. At the beginning of 11th grade, all students have to declare an area of focus: (1) physical sciences, (2) biological sciences, (3) history, or (4) commerce. I chose biological sciences.

Where did you go to college? What did you like about your school?
I did my undergraduate studies in Saint Ann’s College in Hyderabad. I majored in microbiology, chemistry and zoology (in India, students need to declare 3 majors).

What did you do after you graduated?
During your 3rd year of your Bachelor’s degree you have to decide what you want to do after graduation. In India, the opportunities available for someone with a Bachelor’s degree are not that great so I went straight into a Master’s program. There are two types of entrance exams: One for applying to State Universities and a different one for applying to national level programs. I took the combined entrance exam conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi for Biotechnology programs offered at 25 Indian universities. They test you on your knowledge on all aspects of the sciences, math and any new developments in the fields. In any particular year, there are about 250 seats available and about 300,000 applicants who take the National Exams. I got into the Biotechnology program at Himachal Pradesh University in the foothills of the Himalayas! It is a Grade-A university and I joined the Biotechnology Program. My thesis work centered on understanding the stability of thermophilic proteases.

Where and why did you apply to grad school?
I have always been good in math and biology. I did not want to be an engineer because the rest of my family members are engineers. During my studies, I realized that I really love research. After obtaining my Master’s in Biotechnology, I intended to do my PhD close to home, so I appeared in an exam to choose young scientists with exceptional scholastic aptitudes to do research. I passed and obtained a very competitive stipend from the Indian University Grants Commission to do research. However, I saw the opportunities that were available in the US and wanted to do my PhD at the University of Arizona. Coming to the United States was a big cultural shock for me�as the US education system is very different from the Indian education system. I did my PhD on HIV pathogenesis (1-8).

Why did you come to Seattle Biomedical Research Institute?
I came to Seattle Biomedical Research Institute because I really liked Don Sodora’s research. I wanted to get research experience more on the host side of HIV infection. Also, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute is a small institute where one gets to interact closely with other scientists.

What are your hobbies outside of the lab?
Photography, jewelry making, crafts, reading, finance and politics.

From where you are now, what advise would you give to incoming and graduate BioQuest students?
Biology is a very challenging field. All of us who do research are here because we are very passionate about it. It is a very intellectually stimulating and rewarding field. If this is what you are looking for, biological research is a good place to be.

Publications:

"Biology is a very challenging field. All of us who do research are here because we are very passionate about it. It is a very intellectually stimulating and rewarding field. If this is what you are looking for, biological research is a good place to be." — Vasudha