Good day, Sudipta Tung. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Yes, thank you. So I'm Sudipto.

Pager.

Please start by introducing your

Thank you for sharing that.

Professor Tung, thank you for joining. Let's begin with verifying your expertise and suitability for the role of Biomedical Genetics Professor. Starting with your academic foundation, could you highlight your PhD work? Specifically, what areas of biomedical genetics or related research did your doctoral studies emphasize?

Uh, five years of teaching and mentoring experience at Ashoka University, so I believe I am suitable for, uh, this candidature.

What's off?

I appreciate that context, Professor. Let us delve deeper into your research and teaching credentials to ensure alignment with the role. Could you elaborate on how your research in eco-evolutionary systems and nutritional physiology contributes to advancements in biomedical genetics?

Yes. So thank you for asking. So nutrition is one of the fundamental input that we take from the environment which we cannot escape. And we know that nutrition is far more than just energy.

It affects us in various different ways including metabolism, aging processes. So that is exactly where my research is heading to, how nutritional composition can potentially aid or aid the process of healthy aging. So that is exactly what we are working on. On the side, we are using model systems like Drosophila, which is extremely good in terms of. Biomedical engineering such that in the food industry and all so in that context.

Next, uh, product development and product, uh, validation and their impact on aging process and other metabolic disorders can easily be modeled using our model systems. We have a very unique, uh, system of Drosophila. What we have is that they are being reared on specific macronutrient compositions with contrasting isocaloric, uh.

Uh, comfort composition that is approaching rates versus carbohydrate rates right over more than 100 generations. This is an invaluable resource we have which we would like to deploy for biomedical, uh, engineering as well as, uh, contributing towards the public health side.

That is perfect.

Yeah, please go ahead.

How do you integrate your research into your teaching? For instance, how do you guide students in connecting complex topics like eco-evolutionary modeling or nutritional physiology to biomedical genetics in both theory and practical laboratory settings?

Yeah, that's perfect. I mean, thanks for asking again. So always both my teaching and research goes hand in hand. They are complementary. And what I do is in classroom, I create an environment for learning rather than a particular goal of teaching as such. And that seems to work perfectly. Since I have a strong foundation in doing research, I always integrate the topics in the inquiry based learning.

Mode such that I pose the questions in such a way the students are self motivated to learn more and then I essentially guide and nudge them towards learning things. Say for example I teach computational biology and mathematical modeling in biology and also evolutionary genetics at the same time through which I essentially nudge the students towards thinking long term. How?

In long term and that can have implications on our health and also the aging processes. So this has been pretty successful simply because I mean the teaching component essentially comes naturally and also simply because the students are pretty comfortable in learning in such kind of collaborative learning system.

The environmental exposure essentially shapes us.

I also, it also feeds back to me for invest a little more in teaching, which is essentially a feed forward cycle. It also puts my research simply because the inquisitive minds from students. I mean basically I get ideas which I integrate in research and also from research I bring things up some of the cutting edge questions in my classroom and motivate them to basically go forward learning and contribute in that direction.

I see how your teaching philosophy emphasizes inquiry-based learning and collaboration, creating a dynamic exchange between your research and classroom engagement. Shifting gears slightly, could you describe how you evaluate student performance in such an open-ended and inquiry-driven teaching framework? Specifically, how do you design assessments that effectively measure understanding and engagement?

Yeah, thanks for asking that. So always assessment is one of the critical part of teaching simply because it's not just about the marks, it's about my understanding of how they're learning or how they are gaining from the material I have shared with them. So therefore I generally operate in a couple of different ways. Number one is continuous evaluation through assignments. So I give them assignments in a regular basis and therefore I. Get to know exactly how.

They are progressing through and how much of what I have intended to teach or intended to share about the knowledge, the topic, how much of that got into rather than whatever they have known it earlier. Second is about Viber interactions. So I always have in classroom participation. I, I encourage in classroom participation through which I can kind of see exactly how they are.

Responding to the particular knowledge which I have already shared and grappling with it. How much I always encourage some open-ended questions which I try to see are not exactly getting the answer what exactly how they are trying to think and go towards the answer. And basically I try to inculcate that kind of critical thinking and try to gauge how much they have got that in them. And also of course this is the exam part where I.

Now essentially conduct the exam in the traditional way without any aid how much they can retain in terms of the information and execute given a particular question. Last but not the least, I also keep one component called DIY project in each of my courses where they essentially execute some of the concepts which they have learned in the particular course but they extend it beyond exactly what they have done in the course.

That is extremely useful simply because it's not just about the teaching, the particular content, but about their understanding of the whole concept and also the confidence to take it forward further than what we know now. So that these aspects, these components, that is classroom participation, continuous assessment in terms of assignments, exams and DIY project. These 4 approaches I take to evaluate the students effectively.

Your multifaceted approach to assessment is commendable, Professor, particularly the inclusion of DIY projects to foster deeper understanding and independent exploration. This aligns well with fostering critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills in students. Now, could you share an example of a specific project or assignment you've designed that particularly stands out in connecting theoretical concepts to practical applications in biomedical genetics?

Oh yes, so there are. Thanks for asking, first of all. So there are many different kinds of projects we have developed, say for example.

Very recently I announced one student towards thinking along the axis of how antibiotic development can potentially be fostered by the implications of evolutionary concepts. So this is a problem which integrates both the designing designing as well as.

Understanding the concept of evolution and how it can potentially be beneficial in our favor and for human being. So in that context, the student essentially forced learn through the concepts of evolution and also essentially use the concepts of antibiotic development through directed adaptive.

Experimental evolution, uh, paradigm, uh, they have used to design and basically create one experiential design and execute it to uh, create more effective drugs. Yeah.

Fascinating example, Professor. Incorporating evolutionary concepts into antibiotic development is a powerful demonstration of bridging theoretical foundations with practical biomedical applications. It also highlights your capacity to inspire students to tackle real-world challenges through innovative research paradigms. Let us now turn to your publication record. Could you provide an overview of some of your key research publications, particularly those that you'd consider significant contributions to the field of biomedical genetics?

Yes, OK. Thanks for asking again. SO.

There are. I have total, in total I have published about 16 publications since I have started doing research. Of those, I value the most, which I have published very recently after establishing my own laboratory as a corresponding authors. So some of those results say for example, one of the publication which essentially says that. In terms of health and organismal performance.

Is critically dependent on the macronutrient composition of diet, that is the protein isocarbohydrate ratio rather than the calorie alone. Not only that, it also is dependent on when you are eating that diet, that is when, whether it is given at the developmental stage or whether it is given at the adult stage, it matters. And also we show that it seems that at least based on the particular. Traits. We were focusing on the performance parameters, that is fertility.

The solution resistance, dissection resistance, longevity, all these parameters seem to have not much interaction regarding the stages, that is the developmental stage versus adult stage as such, which essentially shows importantly that somehow which the particular mechanism is yet to be discovered, but somehow the diet in those two stages are affecting adult performance in some uncoupled or independent way.

It is also interesting that we later on found that.

Even sex matters, that is, it depends on which of the whether the males or females, they are eating that same diet. So therefore it's a fascinating interaction between macronutrient composition, the stage, life stage and sex.

Is further this particular research even more. And we also have seen that, uh, particularly with one example of reproduction, we have studied it, uh, across multiple edge points, which essentially shows that the impact of diet on reproduction, let's say, is varying, uh, based on at which age point we are measuring it, which is again coming to another. Factor, which is the age of the Organism into the account. So it's a fascinating multifaceted.

Uh, interaction, which is going on the basically, uh, micronutrient composition multi crossed with your life stage when the diet is provided, the gender of the Organism and the age. So all these are interacting to essentially shape our health and aging process, which I find extremely fascinating. We are essentially extending the work across all other functional traits.

To find out exactly how that is shaping us, uh, every day.

Thank you, Professor Tung, for that detailed overview. Your research clearly demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how complex interactions between nutrition, development stages, sex, and age influence physiological and aging processes. It also reflects your ability to tackle multifaceted biological questions with depth and rigor—a quality critical for this role. Could you briefly comment on any collaborations or interdisciplinary projects, particularly those outside of your core expertise, that have enhanced your research impact?

Yes, so we during this particular.

One of our project, we have collaborated with one of our collaborator from ISA Pune, uh regarding uh.

Very specific transcriptomics applications where through that collaboration we essentially did two things. Number one, this that was the first project which we have taken up where RNA seq was being used for this particular purpose. But in the process of the collaboration, what we could do is that we build up a facility, an infrastructure inside our lab itself so that now that transcriptomics has become part of our own.

Strengthen now also we are currently doing a collaboration which is yet to be published or rather basically communicated is regarding the genomics because we have fascinating.

Model system where we have evolved flies for multiple generations and they are basically we are seeing phenotypic signature of the evolution. We would like to see the genetic, genetic basis of those metabolic rearing that that.

Must have happened. So for that, I am collaborating with one of the collaborator, uh, from uh, Isa Trivandam, uh, called, uh, Professor Mike Mandan. So that is what we are currently pursuing and we hope to communicate the exciting findings of it soon.

Your interdisciplinary collaborations, especially in transcriptomics and genomics, highlight your adaptability and forward-thinking approach to expanding research capabilities. Building the transcriptomics infrastructure within your lab is a noteworthy achievement that demonstrates resourcefulness and long-term planning. Shifting focus, could you elaborate on any experiences you have in guiding student-led research projects, particularly their outcomes and impact on both the students' academic growth and your overall research goals?

Certainly. So during my tenure at Ashoka University since 2021, I had been mentoring undergraduate students for their internships, master students for their thesis and also I have been mentoring PSJ students. So basically currently I have I am mentoring 3 PSHA students who are and two of them are about to complete their thesis.

This particular mentoring journey had been quite productive as well as enjoyable simply because, I mean, again, I mean, I believe in the same philosophy of creating an environment of learning. And then the students can learn with their own potential simply because everybody has their own unique strengths. So. And this particular approach has been pretty successful simply because all three of the students have, I mean, qualified their qualifying exams after the 2nd.

Within 12 months or so.

Of their PhD with flying colors and two of them have also received multiple poster prizes in conferences. So one of the student received this poster prizes in every year in three different successive times and one of them received one of poster prize in this this particular year itself. So that essentially shows that it is not only about my ability, but also the students are.

Excited about doing what they are doing and that I consider to be one of the, uh, achievement, uh, of this particular endeavor. Also one of the student along with me have uh, written up their work and communicated and recently got published in one of the leading journal of evolutionary biology, which is called the Journal of Evolutionary Biology. So that is also another testament of the fact that. The mentoring has been effective.

Basically completion of their thesis with full enthusiasm and I am very much looking forward to the particular findings, what they, the students are currently working on. And overall it's pretty pretty productive and pretty satisfying to essentially engage in this activity.

All the students, they are gearing up in terms of their.

Your mentorship achievements are indeed impressive. Guiding multiple students through their PhD journeys, enabling them to excel in examinations, receive awards, and even contribute to peer-reviewed publications reflects both your commitment to fostering individual student growth and your ability to integrate their work into meaningful academic contributions. One final point: how do you balance such hands-on mentorship while also pursuing your ambitious research agenda? How do you ensure that neither aspect compromises the other?

Yes. So thanks for asking that. So this is of course a challenge but the good part is I am already aware of it. Both the aspects are very important. So I generally segregate the time of the day with proper structured routine manner. So I always maintain the calendar so that the students are also aware that this is the time. Where they are supposed to talk to me and go through their progress and all.

And also I dedicate some time for myself for learning and also such that I am prepared to contribute in their work as well. Not only just managing the logistics but also intellectually. So this balance, structured balance and structured routine and clear communication helps me to balance these particular angle of managing cutting edge research as well as mentoring.

Your structured approach to balancing mentorship and cutting-edge research speaks to your organizational discipline and commitment to fostering an environment where both you and your students thrive. It's evident that you approach both aspects with equal dedication and thoughtfulness—a quality critical for a well-rounded academic leader. That covers my primary questions. Is there anything specific you'd like to discuss or highlight further before we move toward concluding?

Prosper in the future. So basically I wanted to ask two things. Number one, what is the immediate expectation from a young researcher like us at VIT? And secondly, exactly how do VIT, how does VIT sees the prospect in terms of the scope of our improvement in the future?

No, it was fantastic talking to you. Uh, but I wanted to know exactly how, uh, VIT looks forward in terms of a young researcher like us to thrive and achieve the future goal, which will essentially basically enable us to.

Thank you for the thoughtful questions, Professor Tung. To address your queries: 1. **Immediate Expectations from a Young Researcher:** VIT seeks individuals who excel in integrating teaching, research, and mentorship. As a researcher in Biomedical Genetics, your role would involve delivering high-quality teaching, guiding both theoretical and laboratory sessions, mentoring students on projects and research, and producing impactful publications in internationally reputed journals. The goal is to foster innovation, encourage student engagement, and contribute meaningfully to advancing the field. 2. **Scope for Growth at VIT:** VIT offers excellent opportunities to thrive as a researcher. With an emphasis on interdisciplinary projects, industry partnerships, and R&D, you'll find resources to pursue advanced research and push the boundaries of knowledge in your discipline. Additionally, the institution supports initiatives for funded research and consultancy, opening avenues for driving impact both within academia and in the broader biomedical community. If there's anything more you'd like to explore, please let me know.

Thank you. Thank you for the response. That's all I had. Thanks.

Sure. Thank you. It was pleasure talking to you too.

Thank you, Professor Tung, for your insightful responses and thoughtful discussions. It was a pleasure speaking with you. Just to confirm, would you like to formally conclude the interview at this point?