I am a PhD student in the Muqit and Swamy Lab, investigating the role of PINK1 signaling and mitophagy in innate and adaptive immunity. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. In early-onset autosomal recessive PD, mutations in PARK6 (which encodes PINK1) impair mitophagy, the selective degradation of damaged mitochondria. While mitochondrial dysfunction is known to affect immunity, the specific role of mitophagy in immune cells remains unclear. My research focuses on understanding how PINK1 regulates immune cell function and its broader impact on mitophagy in immunity.

I completed my integrated BS-MS at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali, India. For my MS dissertation, under the supervision of Dr. Rajesh Ramachandran, I investigated the role of the Chromobox-Containing Polycomb Group in zebrafish retinal regeneration. Additionally, I explored the influence of the skin microbiome on vertebrate tissue regeneration, using Ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl) as a model system.